


Worse comes to worst

by fish_wifey



Series: Threatening skies [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Action/Adventure, Aged-Up Character(s), Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, BNHA au (slightly), Blow Jobs, Bonds, Double Agents, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, Feelings Realization, Flirting, Friends to Enemies, Hate Sex, Hate to Love, Hero AU, Kinky, Kissing, Love/Hate, Lovers To Enemies, M/M, Moral Ambiguity, Mystery, Partners to Lovers, Quirks, Second Chances, Sexual Tension, Spies & Secret Agents, Superpowers, Team as Family, Telepathic Bond, Wax Play, Wings, candle wax, heroes/villains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-03-22 23:34:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 93,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13774962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fish_wifey/pseuds/fish_wifey
Summary: As a threat to society enlarges and becomes a threat to heroes. A hero team made up of Sakusa Kiyoomi, Komori Motoya, Miya Atsumu and Kageyama Tobio faces more and more trouble and concerns. What started off as a small recon mission to hear out an individual with information regarding this threat has the team watch their backs even more.There's a hero in their midst who's not all that straight.Whose intentions are not as good.And who is closer than they could ever imagine.Meanwhile Kageyama's and Miya's relationship blossoms into more and they keep learning about one one another. The question is if either is prepared to face new truths and dark pasts. And the answer lies in who is good-and who is evil.





	1. Threatening skies

**Author's Note:**

> _Worse comes to worst_ follows the story as it ended in _Between dusk and dawn_. It is not a stand alone story and the first part of the series must be read for understanding, relationships developments, and how the bonds of everyone are fixed. 
> 
> This story will have a lot more chapters which in turn will be a little shorter (I aim above 5000 and some will peak at 10k). Be aware that I move the story and the twists within at a faster speed, and there will be sexual content (sometimes implied, sometimes explicit, but anything will be tagged :D). There will be mentions of violence but these are mostly short fight scenes and nothing too bloody.
> 
> Also this story is yet a wip and quite puzzling in my Evernotes. I hope by releasing the first chapter and hearing everyone's feedback, that the motivation to make the upcoming chapters perfect and plothole-less~
> 
> Please know that this is part of what I wrote for NaNoWriMo, that I have been writing on this for months and adding cool things everywhere. If the comments are only 'pls update', 'i love this need more', it will derail my motivation to write for the story and its characters, and will focus on other things~ But any comments are highly appreciated and I am sosososoo pumped to move this story along to all the cool and heart-wrenching things 8D

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the plot thickens and more mysteries pile upon the work desk of a rigid headquarters situated in a Kyoto police station, everyone deals with the news of a spy within the world of heroes differently.
> 
> Sakusa is annoyed. Komori shocked, but not unable to take action. Kageyama's instinct prepared him as much as it could. Miya Atsumu would have liked to be the one to fool Sakusa. But all heroes agree that this 'mole' must be found and stopped.
> 
> All heroes. But the spy might be so much closer than any of them would like. They might have even seen them, known them.
> 
> Or share a bed with them as the skies outside darken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter acts as a direct continuation of where _Between dusk and dawn_ ended, with a couple of days unaccounted for in between. In the original script, I wanted miyakage to be acquainted on several hero missions, having been intimate a couple of times, but with months apart before this mission. As lovely as it was, Bd &d wrote itself in a way that was much more my style of getting together fics and a better pace to it. Plus as a fic written during nano, I wanted it to be long as fuck ww;; (i mean, measurements are relevant and i know 60k isn't a lot for most..)
> 
> Once again all hail and thanks must be sent to Zero. I told her about this story in spring/summer and we had so much fun headcanoning the plot-twists, the angst, and the lies. I have changed a few things from the original intent and chose for specific things that might turn this story towards a happy ending.
> 
> Please please please enjoy this. It's my dearest writing child not yet fully fledged ;;

Tobio’s eyes avert to his phone before anyone from the team comes to their designated war room. The name was Komori’s pick, as he re-enacted Sakusa presenting new finds as if they were prepping for a battle. 

On his phone is a quickly written message from Shimizu Kiyoko. She had made it one of her duties to post updates of everyone’s hero duties and doings in the group chat of their agency. Tobio’s eyes skim over Sugawara’s latest mission. The update starts with the team name Sugawara picked for this mission, a rescue east of Miyagi. He had worked together with other heroes who Kageyama doesn’t know. After reading how well the rescue went, Tobio’s thumb scrolls back up to the team name. 

At the same time he hears Sakusa and Komori round a nearby corner. Tobio is sure that Sakusa would never give them a team name. They were so deep into this mission already and he’s never mentioned anything. It wouldn’t be like him, Tobio judges. Tobio pockets his phone, somewhat glad that while his closest friends would say he has stunted social skills, at least he’s able to recognize attachment issues as clear as these.

Sakusa opens the door to their headquarters, situated in the police station. Komori nods his head to Tobio in greeting, which he swiftly returns. The two of them head inside without a fuss.

Tobio stands rooted for a moment, his ears peaked. Sakusa gives him a groan for it.

“Your… I don’t even want to say it—” 

“Boyfriend? Come on Sakusa!” Komori laughs, rounding the table to Sakusa’s side to tease him. Tobio’s head turns to the same corner they’d come from.

“Looking for me?” A hot breath ghosts over Tobio’s neck, and he reigns his body in from jumping at the almost moist touch of lips so close to him. Before he turns around he takes a step forward, in clear view of Sakusa and Komori. 

Atsumu gives him a lopsided grin. He keeps his hands in his pockets, his shoulders at a nonchalant angle. His eyes never waver from Tobio’s.

“I was here first,” Tobio says defiantly, not sure what else to say. He probably could have said anything; and Atsumu’s grin would widen in that audible way of his. A chuckle Tobio doesn’t have to hear to know its there, however silent. 

“No, I was. Was hoping you’d come in early but then I got hungry and got a snack.” Atsumu reveals his pockets to be filled with it. “Sakusa’s gonna make this meeting endless and there’s no way we will be able to get out for a break once he starts.” 

Tobio looks into the room, where Komori attempts to make Sakusa say the word lover. Sakusa’s body recoils as much as he can while holding onto the back of his chair for dear life. 

“I should have thought of that…” Tobio mumbles, but his last word is caught in a kiss Atsumu places at a speed yet unknown. It’s feather light.

“Don’t worry. I knew my favourite goody-two-shoes hadn’t thought that far ahead. I got enough for the both of us.” 

“And me!?” Komori yelps, making Tobio believe he heard most of their conversation. 

“What about you, Komori? You’re practically useless vouching for a humane break inbetween these meetings, and you’re Sakusa’s partner. We all have to look out after one another but you’re failing big time,” Atsumu laughs, letting Tobio enter first before following and closing the door. 

“Lock it,” Sakusa grumbles as he sits down, pushing Komori to do the same. Komori, pouting at Atsumu’s words, does so reluctantly. 

“Hey, I’m trying to stay in his good graces, unlike you, Miya.” 

“I’m graced with many good things, though,” Atsumu laughs, his hand touching Tobio’s back. The spot he’s been told not to brush in public, right between Tobio’s shoulder blades. Once again Tobio can make his body be still and unshaken. Both of them sit down in front of the other two.

“Enough with the squabbling and the flirting. Today’s meeting is not a joke and I need everyone's attention to stay razorsharp,” Sakusa growls, his eyes staying on each of them in varying lengths; Komori gets a quick glance, knowledge passing between them. Tobio gets a shorter glance, as Sakusa should know he’s always on task when it comes to hero duties. And Atsumu gets the longest look, as if Sakusa wants to indoctrinate the importance of today into him.

“Alright, let’s start.”

 

*

 

Annoyance has become second nature in Kiyoomi's arsenal of emotions. He carries it with him all the time, and it intensifies daily when he has to interact with other people. Apart from being away from Tokyo, his chosen home and birth place, his annoyance that the case he's been assigned to here isn't yet finished reaches its final peak. He could have got up and left, have other heroes deal out the justice that was so badly needed in this seedy place.

Yet, he had invested so much into the job that it felt meaningless if he'd leave it to others. More importantly, Kiyoomi had an awful distrust of other people, and didn't believe that they could do what he does. It was a miracle that he sat in front of an assembled team, individuals he vouched for. Even if they sometimes got on his nerves, he chose each of them for their capability, their nerve, for their ease in combat and their clear heads.

And now each of them stares at him in a mixture of disbelief and something else Kiyoomi could not name. Motoya had heard the confession himself, but to let it sink in that someone in this country, renowned for heroic actions, was a fake after all this time... It hit the sensitive people hardest, and Motoya heart was pure. Miya Atsumu might not be the purest in the business, but he looks in discomfort to the transcribed file holding the confession of one Suzuki Rintarou. 

What should have been an easy job in need of confidentiality, finesse, and a rougher touch when dealing with people like Suzuki, turned out to be so much bigger than Kiyoomi could have anticipated. Coming from a lead, an inside view to the organized crime in the Kansai region, the job has traveled from possible witness protection and transfer to the uncontaminated evil. A simple information acquisition turning to something much more foul and menacing. 

And Kageyama Tobio, who Kiyoomi specially requested given his hero record and his flying quirk, now had the gall to give him a look as if he knew it would have come to this. The closing of one chapter, and the opening of something longer, and more widespread. 

"And you believe him?" Miya asks, shoving the report away from himself. 

"The readings do not lie. Suzuki had told us the truth from the beginning. The technology we carry might be less than 100% accurate, but it gave us no falsehoods this far. While Kyoto seems the perfect hotpot for evil, Suzuki's claim that it is but one Hyogo syndicate, the Ikuta-kai, pulling the strings. I had some of my people track money transfers and connections after Suzuki opened up who his bosses were confiding in further west. It's true. It's all true." Kiyoomi gave the transcription a foul look, where he marked a single sentence.

"We do have reason to believe that there is a spy in our midst. If we look at possibilities and how this may have been set up, the hero in question is from Kansai. Probably living in the following prefectures: Hyogo, Kyoto, Osaka, possibly Shiga. This person operates fully situated within a hero agency, has a hero name. But meanwhile, they traffic information from the agency to the criminal organizations. They have planted false leads and even wild goose chases, making several other heroes from other agencies go after ghost that do not exist." Kiyoomi watches Motoya hand out a file stack which they both made prior to their travel west.

"My superior had the foresight sensing Kansai going into a terrible direction. Komori and I spend a month looking up false leads reports, connecting only now what kind of criminal activity took place in the meantime. We can say what we want about the heroes here, their quality, their blindness... But they were led around like fools in the belief that one of them, one of _us_ , was on their side. Meanwhile..." 

Kiyoomi takes a sip of his tea, attempting to calm his nerves. Kageyama sits back on his chair, crossing his arms. He hasn't touched the newer paperwork. "Meanwhile it was a villain all along, posing as a hero... And Suzuki cannot identify this individual for us, because his organization had no direct dealings with them."

"Correct. The gang Suzuki worked at was a smaller group of people who are under a wider branch associates," Motoya says, his first words after their meeting of doom started. "Whatever the organization he worked for was doing, it became too hot for him. We have reason to believe that it's an official sub-organization of the Ikuta-kai, and that they're bundling a prowess across three to four prefectures. Hidden in the shadows." 

"But why decentralize like that? It makes no sense to go further west or let some distant gang rule you like that," Miya counters, resignation in his shoulders. 

"To blow sand in our eyes," Kiyoomi grumbles, hating how everyone had been too blind to see, to understand the patterns that now rose like snakes from the grass before his eyes. "It's a strategy unheard and unseen off, and whoever came up with the idea must be sleeping really well, thinking themselves safe. Instead of going to the center, of operating in a million people city or joining with actual villain gangs in Kantou and such, these guys stay where they are. Where they think they're not bothering anyone." 

Time ticks by as Kiyoomi lets the idea sink into Miya's brain. They were losing time as it was, but handling this as delicately as he could was a prime directive from his superior.

"Staying under the radar because of the place they chose... Hyogo prefecture has been peaceful with the most minor incidents since the beginning of quirk activity. From there, they send out flunkies, offer cooperation and money. Showing that the dream of evil winning over good is possible if they're the ones to lead this new rebellion. Quirk-less fools like Suzuki get caught up in the fray, and are bound to their bosses to do as being told. And it has been fucking working for them the way they wanted."

"Until a quirk-less fool like Suzuki thought he couldn't deal with the pressure." Motoya smiles, but it's dry and without joy. Kiyoomi knows what he feels; its in his bones too. They're children of the capital, thought that all evil was located there, drawn there by the beacons of heroes. Its outrageous to think that they didn't believe in places elsewhere to have the same villain activity and building threat. 

"Miya, Kageyama; your agencies have given the green light to prolong your stay here. Kageyama, I grant you minor excursions, 36 hours tops, for Tokyo visits. Not further than that, you hear me? Miya, your agency has let me know one date which you take off every year for whatever business you need to conduct, so that's granted also. But we cannot rest, otherwise. We're assigned to round up the villain leaders. They have to make mistakes, somehow, somewhere."

"And where will we stay while we rat them out? Here, or closer to Osaka bay?" Kageyama asks, his eyes darker, the same sense of hunting criminals wafting off him.

"We'll stay here in Kyoto, making them think we're not bothered with another prefecture. Let them believe that our sole purpose of stay is to go through the bad guys here, and let them feel safe in their bubbles. When things go too well for them, they will act faster, trying to make money sooner rather than later. That's how we're going to take them out. Let them come to us." 

Motoya was all for the idea anyway, even though he missed Tokyo as much as Kiyoomi did. Kageyama gives his immediate nod, already off the chair to make his calls to his superior saying he takes the prolonged job. Only Miya's eyes are on Kiyoomi as if something is bothering him.

"What?" Kiyoomi rumbles his way, and Miya seems to be taken out of the staring stupor. He shakes his head and gives a little smile.

"Nothing, to be honest. I just never thought people from my prefecture could outsmart you like this. Sad also, because it wasn't me who did you in, Sakusa the great and strong hero." Every once in a while, Miya’s smile (and Kiyoomi has seen it on both twins) would get this sharper than usual edge. As if he knew more than anybody else and relished in the fact.

Kiyoomi's annoyance, already tested to the edges, grows once more. Give it to one of the Miya brothers to take this lightly and think it's just fun to take him down. 

"Return to the hotel if you're not going to help out here. We need a plan—"

"Ah, no, I'll stay of course! It's fun to irritate you." Miya stands up nonetheless, remarking he needs some coffee before they continue. Motoya leans towards Kiyoomi, chuckling about Miya's behaviour. Wide eyes glance over to where Miya had stacked his (and Kageyama’s) snacks, before he turns them to Kiyoomi. 

"Something to eat isn’t a bad idea, you have to admit. Want me to run to the convenience store and stock up?" 

Watching both Kageyama and Miya leave the conference room, Kiyoomi gives a single nod. He can’t be expected to go through this ordeal without proper sustenance. "You know my usual."

"Roger that! Hey, Miya, hey wait for me!"

When they're all gone and the door closes behind Motoya, Kiyoomi puts his face in his hand. This would be a long haul.

 

*

 

Atsumu lets Komori take most of their stuff and signals him to go back first. Komori's eyes take one look at Tobio who stands further away, then nods. His grin is knowing, but that doesn't matter to Atsumu. His head turns to listen on a more interesting conversation topic. 

"How's the recovery coming along?" Tobio's voice falls silent in the hallway, clinging to the nearest wall where Atsumu's attention is drawn to. He watches Tobio's fingers splay, as he hums understanding and acknowledgement into his phone. "I'm given leave to visit if necessary, but if it's not needed—yes, of course. Mhn. Probably a week from now then. Thank you, Ukai-san." 

As soon as he hangs up, Atsumu reaches forward, taking privilege in biting Tobio's exposed neck. It’s nothing too heavy in the halls of the police station, but enough to be on Tobio’s mind during the continuation of the meeting.

"Your friend doing okay?"

"Mhnn, yeah, he's getting better. It's a slow process." Tobio commits, leaning back for a peaceful moment. It's been a few days after Suzuki's confession in their hotelrooms, and Atsumu found himself longing for Tobio more and more. There's voices up ahead, and Tobio fidgest away. Snickering, Atsumu leads him to a staircase, one that's gone unused for as long as they've been here given the nearby elevator. Tobio's protest of touchy hands and searching lips become less vocal when the door closes behind Atsumu. 

"Did you miss me?" Atsumu breathes down his ear, and Tobio fights the weakening in his knees.

"...Maybe." His hands tremble a little when they go around Atsumu's neck. Tobio makes sure his breathing and voice are somewhat under control before he asks Atsumu the same, especially when those teeth and hands become unruly. "Missed me a lot?" 

"Mhnnn, hell of a lot. Bed's so empty without you," Atsumu chuckles into Tobio's collarbone, who doesn't appreciate it much.

"Please, it's been three days—"

"Three days and three nights, Tobio-kun. Take some pity on my lonely soul." Atsumu manages to bring them down a set of stairs, to trap Tobio into a corner. It's always easier when Tobio has his back to a wall for some stability which Atsumu loves to kiss out of him. 

" _Here_?"

"Hmmm, just a preview." Finally understanding how Tobio's hero outfit works, Atsumu lets his hands slither past the many defences, finding a way over Tobio's boxershort covered ass. Delighted when Tobio's hips inch forward, Atsumu continues on his favourite assault at the throat, where his lips can press to Tobio’s heartbeat. The previous love marks have begun to fade, begging to be renewed.

"You really missed me, huh?" Atsumu repeats in a lower voice, this time letting the tease in it slack off. Tobio nods, his arms engulfing Atsumu's head, encouraging him to continue. "Good."

 

*

 

In the end, their war meeting didn't get far. Lucky for Atsumu, whose base plan was to hole himself and Tobio up in either of their hotel rooms for a long round of reunion sex. There was not much else to do and Atsumu liked the peace, the quiet, and the inevitable rapture that came from being with Tobio. Zoning out Osamu's voice or the encrypted messages coming in on his phone, Atsumu takes Tobio's before he can check his own.

"Let's act as if the outside world does not exist," Atsumu breaths down Tobio's neck. They're naked and entangled with each other and the sheets. Tobio lies face forward on their pillows, his body stretched out beneath Atsumu, knees planted into the mattress and his legs widening for Atsumu to lie in between. Every now and then a heady moan sounds from behind his closed lips, and his eyes flutter when Atsumu kisses down his spine. He loves kissing between the shoulder blades.

To know what destructive force hides below skin, how Tobio keeps it together for the sake of love-making, and how Atsumu can control it with a hush. 

As the overwhelming pleasure has Tobio's eyes shut close, he cannot see the incoming messages brightening up his display. Grabbing his hips, Atsumu leans into the heat of his lover, making sure he forgets anything and everything except him.

Them. Here and now. 

Atsumu hovers over his back, resting his chest every few thrusts on top to deepen their connection. 

When they come, Tobio rolls over to sleep, mumbling about tired wings and tired bones. Atsumu aids him, paving that road to sleep; he plays around with Tobio's hair until he doesn’t respond to a single murmured question from Atsumu. 

When he hears Tobio's soft snores, Atsumu turns to the nightstand, and grabs both his and Tobio's phone. 

The messages come from Komori. He says they gave Suzuki a tracker and heart rate monitor to check up on him without having to tail him all the time. Atsumu sees that the message was sent to his phone also, when a new message beeps up, this one solely for Kageyama. It's a parade of orders, things Tobio has to keep in mind. And that despite the trackers, aerial support might be needed. There's a request to tail Suzuki in a way that won't have him or villains notice. 

Atsumu looks back to his sleeping lover, then deletes the messages. He takes his own phone, replying to Komori. Biting his lip, he texts back how glad he is, that's made plans with Tobio tonight and wants to deepen their 'friendship'. Komori texts back a cheeky kaomoji, asking if Tobio checked his own phone yet. Atsumu denies this, which is technically not a lie.

But the things he types up next are not truthful either. Atsumu explains at length that Tobio is in a state not yet ready to take flight. He ends his message with the reasoning that Tobio helped out a friend and lost a lot of feathers, that he may have trouble flying and needs rest. Komori apparently knew this, but Tobio had said it was fine.

 _"I'm here with him right now and he's exhausted."_ Atsumu types away then sends the message, glad to see that Komori understands. 

A moment later, Tobio's phone flashes once more. Unvexed by the thorough call for help, Atsumu switches phones, as Komori sends another text. The content basically asks Tobio to ignore the orders if he can't fly. Asking again to try at least a couple of nights when he feels rested. Atsumu shakes his head at the easy deceive, deleting that message as well. Once he’s sure nothing else of the matter will come in, he puts Tobio’s phone back on the nightstand.

His sleepy lover motions under the covers, a place Atsumu would like to go under and forget the outside world or his responsibilities. But among the messages from his hero teammate, Atsumu had received a call from his brother.

Kissing Tobio's forehead, he whispers, "Relax a little, I'm ordering room service." 

When he's sure Tobio sleeps, Atsumu slips out of the bed and finds his clothes. Whatever it is, if Osamu felt like calling him on a direct, traceable line, it must be important enough for pants. Sneaking out onto the balcony for some privacy, Atsumu takes in the view until his brother picks up.

"And?"

_"It's trouble, ‘Tsumu. And not our favourite kind."_

 

*

 

Osamu sighs for what is probably a world record of sighs made by one man. He pushes the large headphones off for the moment, taking a sip of the coffee gone cold. He's been listening to this tape for the past half hour, for the third time since he first heard the original play. 

The boss had listened, too. Made Osamu temper with the evidence to ensure Atsumu's cover, and by extension his own. What his boss has ordered him to do afterward gave him a headache, and he'd be sure to drag Atsumu along. There's no way he's going to deal with this on his own.

Suzuki, the idiot, had of course talked to Atsumu, revealing everything. The original tape was in Osamu's possession, before Sakusa's men even stood a chance to listen to the truth. It was hilarious to think that Sakusa’s numerous precautions were so easily fiddled with. Osamu doesn't want to listen to the tape again, and shouldn't have to. His boss has stated clearly that elimination of the source material was necessary. Osamu had been taking his time, to find another way. All along he’s been thinking and thinking, until his brain hurt and he couldn’t even attempt to connect with his brother.

But if there wasn't a chance for him, there couldn't be one for Suzuki either. Losing so many fingers must have tempered with his brains.

Osamu sits in full combat mode, his 'hero' suit, when he's on call with Atsumu. 

"There's nothing left to it. Do what you need to keep Kageyama out of the picture. I'm heading over to Kyoto in five minutes. Pick me up with something good to eat."

 _"You can buy shit yourself, I'm not feeding you!"_ Atsumu grunts, and Osamu hears the 'room service' announcement outside the hotel room. Ending one line of communication as Atsumu greets the hotel hostess and the food, Osamu opens the other line, their secret telepathic link. He stays with Atsumu long enough to see that the CD he requested is on the desk near the stereo. By the time Atsumu hovers over the bed to wake Kageyama up, Osamu is in a taxi, heading for the train station. He breaks the link, a non-negotiable treaty between the brothers to not sneak too much information out of each other's life. 

Osamu sighs again, as the knife he carries lies heavy against his chest.

 

*

 

"Wait, you're talking about _the descendant_ , right!? And that's your senpai..?" Atsumu stares at him as if he just revealed knowing the prime minister. Which Tobio didn't. They had just finished the food Atsumu had ordered for them, drinking the final contents of a wine Atsumu had pushed towards him.

"Hmmm, I know some people address him like that... mostly those who don't know him. No one in our agency even calls him 'Buddha' in private." 

" _Golden_ Buddha... I can't believe I never thought of in which agency he works. I guess as a descendant I believed he'd be somewhere in Tokyo..." Atsumu's voice falls away. Tobio nods absently, thinking of what Tanaka had told him. He didn't like being thought of as 'the descendant' in the first place, and apparently so had the previous generation of the Tanaka family. Tobio knew how it felt to come from a quirk that inspires you to be greater still. Inheriting the legacy of the child that was born with the first quirk known to Japan was something else entirely. 

"Well we're a small one, but I think we have A-liners as heroes. Of course I might be biased," Tobio says, looking up in the air. Being friends with the Tanaka siblings had never been a big deal for him. Their friendship, help and trust wasn't measurable. 

"Oh wait, so, his sister—" Atsumu starts, at the same time that Tobio starts answering.

"Saeko-nee-san? Yeah, I know her too. She taught me how to properly fight battles in small areas with villains or criminals. And she taught me 'street style dirty fighting', or what she called it... Her dragon wings are stronger than mine by far, but hers do not heal... Still, I learned a lot from her. Saeko-nee-san also helped a support hero in my agency developing the claw feet, then continued guiding me with the footing during fights." Tobio glances over to where his crow feet lie resting next to his outfit on the chair in a corner. 

When he turns to Atsumu, he's once again met with confusion, and maybe even awe.

" _Nee-san_!? You call her by such a familiar name..." 

"She asked Hinata and me to do so! Nishinoya too—" The name Nishinoya might not wring a bell with Atsumu, since a couple of Tobio's senpai kept a tighter reign on his identity than others. 

"So you have the Second Sun, both the Golden Buddha the Dragon Menace, and the son of Ukai Ikkei is your boss. Interesting..."

Tobio knew that people often thought of them that way. The first thought didn't go immediately to Azumane and his strong arms, to Sugawara and his quick planning. Some people knew of Sawamura, but his quirk was classified as too dangerous and unfit for a hero, so he didn't use it. Then of course there was Nishinoya, and Yamaguchi, who were more commonly known by their hero names. But Tobio didn't feel like boasting about all of them. 

"You have Captain North though, that's also something."

"It's weird to me that our heroes aren't nationwide known. People like Kita-san are often asked overseas, and Aran-san is also popular. I guess it has to do with marketing and what kind of jobs you're doing." Then Atsumu drapes his body beneath the covers over Tobio's skin, bringing him into a lover's embrace he could get used to. His lips give tender kisses under Tobio's jaw, the heat of before lost in softness. 

"I'm glad the jobs we did and the paths we took led us to this bed together, Tobio-kun." Atsumu's voice sends rather not so tame chills over Tobio's skin, making his toes wiggle. Turning towards him, returning the embrace, Tobio's eyes flutter close as Atsumu kisses him. Getting lost in the tender care traveling over his spine when Tobio turns on his side, he deepens the kiss, pushing Atsumu's head back into the pillows.

His eyes open for a second, glancing from Atsumu's grinning face towards his mobile phone. 

"Do you really think its okay we stay in the hotel and take it this easy?" Tobio wonders out loud, putting the side of his head on top of Atsumu's chest. Atsumu puts one hand behind his head, the other continuing caressing Tobio's back.

"It should be, if Sakusa says it's alright. This is a long-con, y'know. And we have to fight a rat in our ranks. We can't just charge into danger." 

"...Komori-san used the word 'mole'."

"Either works, I think." Atsumu chuckles atop of his forehead, unsettling his black bangs resting there. Tobio's not yet sure if it's okay to laze around like this, eating and... doing other stuff. It's hard to argue when Atsumu seduces him deeper under the covers, kissing doubts away, and his hands busying themselves traveling lower towards his lower back and thighs. His reasoning becomes pretty hard to deny, near impossible when his tongue does other things than talk.

 

A good half hour later, night falls and Tobio slithers out of Atsumu's arms and the reach of his grin. Putting strength in his lower back, he slides his thighs off from his lover, sighing as the pleasure of their love-making hums under his skin. Sleep comes easy after that.

"I'll put on some music okay, you mind?" Atsumu asks, and Tobio can barely nod, barely open his eyes. He hears a voice talking, one that sounds alike Atsumu's, but isn't.

And then he falls asleep.

 

*

 

{“He’s late.”}

[“Rest assured, he’ll come. Scared as a chicken before the slaughter.”]

{“Not funny. What did you tell him, anyway?"} 

["What we would have believed when we were younger. That I know what he's going through, that the law seems unkind sometimes, and that confiding in me will make it all better, easier. That he can either trust me or lose his life believing Sakusa will protect him. Hush now, I see the chicken.”]

Atsumu jumps off the low wall, waving. He doesn’t see Osamu anywhere, but their telepathic link has been so clear because of the minimal distance.

Suzuki appears at the mouth of the alleyway, looking over his shoulder before entering in further.

“Sure you weren’t followed this time? Seriously, what we have to do to keep you out of trouble,” Atsumu grins, easy at heart. Learned to fake it all the way to make even himself believe it. Suzuki draws closer, taking an envelope out of his jacket. Atsumu is taken by a flashback, him and Tobio. He shakes the thought off before it takes root. If he thinks of Tobio— 

“I brought it. Man, you cannot imagine my surprise when I saw you with Sakusa and Komori. But I’m glad that you’re on the hero side!"

“Yeah, yeah me too.”

“And so am I,” Osamu’s voice creeps in the alleyway, ripping even Atsumu’s brain to a standstill. It’s a good thing the earpieces they both wear this night interfere with the other brother’s voice quirk. While Suzuki becomes immobile, in a state of relaxation, Atsumu moves his arm forward, snatching the envelope out of his hand.

“I am really sorry, Suzuki. But you should have known that crossing the Ikuta-kai like this was just the worst trajectory. And after all those horrible other mistakes you made to get both our superiors angry...”

Atsumu looks at Osamu, an during the eye lock, the realization of how far they'll go fixes a deadly calm over him. Osamu’s eyes never leaves him, as his hand holds Suzuki’s shoulder. Atsumu wouldn’t want to be in his brother’s shoes tonight, but even so he still shares the burden. He practically hears how Osamu drives an unseen knife through Suzuki’s back. Leaning his head towards Suzuki’s side, Osamu whispers.

“And now you’ll sleep, eternally. Greetings from the boss.”

Suzuki falls face forward, and Atsumu steps aside to avoid contact, then over the soon to be lifeless, bleeding body. A corpse in the making.

“So, you’re bedding the Crow now? Boss will enjoy hearing that.”

“Yeah well, I’ll make sure to enjoy it a little more than the old fucker would.”

On any other job they would high five each other for a perfect execution. But death wasn't like any other activity they were forced to do, and neither of the twins could take joy out of it. Atsumu pushes a bit of cash into Osamu's hands, then explains the way to a good restaurant. Whenever they had to do things they didn’t want to, they soothed their souls with food.

"You can't come because you ate? And oh, the alibi," Osamu catches on fast, then waves a small good bye before leaving the alley. Atsumu’s alibi can only be perfect because he keeps Tobio asleep with a CD… a CD that has Osamu’s voice counting numbers.

“Guess I’ll see you whenever Sakusa deigns to let you leave,” Osamu murmurs, a thought of a grave surrounded by flowers flashing through both their minds.

“Yeah, unlikely for anything minor. Bye ‘Samu.”

 

*

 

Tobio wakens when he feels another body slither in beneath the covers. Exhaling, he moves his limbs to allow Atsumu back into their intimacy. He feels a cold nose push under his ear, his underarms slip over his chest, chill to the touch. He doesn't hear that voice anymore, but his head still feels under water.

"Where're you..?" Tobio asks, half back to sleep if it wasn't for the absence of cold creeping up his back where Atsumu lays.

"Stood at the window, trying to calm myself from this gorgeous view by taking in a lesser one outside." Atsumu grins into Tobio's neck, kissing it. "Don't worry, I never left. Just had to get some fresh air."

"Mhhh," Tobio can't even murmur a word, drifting to sleep. He feels Atsumu's hand under his, fingers entwine. Maybe... maybe he finally found something worth to wake up for in the morning other than being a hero. Someone to hold and love... Tobio smiles, easing into the sleep that Atsumu allows him to have, deep and resting.

Tomorrow's another day to be a hero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yes, I went there.
> 
> Don't hate the player, hate the game.
> 
>  **[[EDIT!]]:** Also also!! Please [check out this amazing art](https://twitter.com/zerojima/status/968187500186382336) piece Zero made as a promo for the fic ;; She and are working together to pick a scene for an image she can create in hopes to spread the fic a lil more~
> 
> That moment was easily one of my favourites to write and see illustrated... Because it's the first time Miya physically and mentally restrains Kageyama from hero duties so he can pursue evil activities... Ahhh~~~  
> For future art, Zero and I will work closer together to get the scene/art 1:1 with each other~ My explanations in terms of drawings lack a lot www;;


	2. Taking flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of death, emotions run high and low. Kageyama blames himself for not being a good enough hero, while Miya tries to re-assure them that they did all they could.
> 
> While the team's focus on the villain spy intensifies to a new level, something breaks loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why but I really liked writing the mourn scenes and the whole crematory/cemetery stuff... It must be me romanticizing death and being too into Florence + the Machine (Welch grew up near a cemetery you guys!) I think what I like the most about grief is writing the comforting scenes... and well Atsumu comforts Tobio quite a lot :D
> 
> Also, when I started this fic during NaNoWriMo, we didn't know a lot of important things about the Inarizaki children, such as birthdays. Which is one of the reasons I kept the seasons vague. Anyway I will now be a bit more precise~
> 
> This chapter ended up being so big that I had to split a large portion off for the next one~ Meaning the next update will be here way sooner (lord bless). I am sorry it took this long... there was a lot of stuff happening, and worst of all, Word screwed me over and deleted a large section of this fic that I had written... So I did my best to recapture the essence of it all (and I know, it's only I who is suffering; but it took me some time to re-write ;;)
> 
> ALSO PLS NOTE! There's stuff I won't tag if they're just rare occurrences. THAT BEING SAID, there will be some violence in this chapter, as well as mentions of knives and blood (but no self-harm. Not in that sense). I don't want to spoil the fic but I also want to keep readers safe... So please stay guarded as you read! If something is not up your alley, skip ahead c:
> 
> I hope this was worth of the wait, and thank you to all who have been so eager for the next chapter~ **[[[Edit~]]]** : Art for this chapter can be found in the End notes my sweeties~

Tobio leans forward for a moment, not minding the drizzle spraying on his face. The sky turned grey for the occasion, unloading a soft rain. He believes the weather pours in the absence those who should cry. As Mother Nature sheds tears for those who died in the night or the early morning, the only to care enough.

"You'll get the suit wet, Tobio-kun." Atsumu opens up a large black umbrella which he bought this morning. It’s the same as the borrowed suit. He pats at the few drops, a memory of how Atsumu put the jacket on him resurfacing. _”A little loose, but it will be good enough.”_ Tobio only brought battle garment and a few spare clothes for when he is alone and at ease. Nothing formal. He follows Atsumu down the wet steps and into the rain, protected by the umbrella. It's a short walk from here to the corner of the sidewalk, where Sakusa's car awaits them.

The ride to the crematorium is way too long in comparison. The only sound comes from the drizzle turning to hail, hammering down on the car as Sakusa speeds over the highway. The silence inside is too heavy for Tobio to bear, who turns his gaze outwards. The responsibility, he can't help but feel, weighs on him. An entire 21 grams, or so the internet could have said...

"Oh, did you know a soul weighs 21 grams?" Komori pipes up, in the very same attire as Tobio and Atsumu; where they chose a white shirt, Sakusa stands out in all black.

"Who the fuck—Oh, right." Sakusa groans, eyes on the road. "It's what they said in that article, right?"

"You'd think souls would be different per human. One having more of a conscious than others, and all that." Komori's voice has lost all mirth, and Tobio couldn't remember having heard him this serious before. "How much d'you reckon the ashes will weight?"

"2 kilograms, maybe less. Suzuki was a thin motherfucker." Sakusa revs his engine, speeding past everyone on the street.

"You shouldn't talk about the dead that way, Sakusa-kun," Atsumu says from the backseat.

"My grandmother always cursed my grandfather to hell after he died. He was large and fat. His ashes went over 3.6 kilograms." Sakusa snaps back, making a sharp turn when they reach the cremation center. Tobio's eyes float towards the front, looking up to the large chimney, yet not smoking. When they stop, Atsumu's fingers find the back of his hand, waiting until Tobio turns to him. He sees Sakusa and Komori already walking forward to the cremation center, shoulder to shoulder, as Komori holds up an umbrella for both of them.

"Careful of the suit, right?" Atsumu gives him a small smile, getting out first to open his door around the other side. For the moment that it takes Atsumu to walk behind the car, Tobio sits alone with a silence that cannot be measured. 

 

*

 

The absence of sadness is no surprise to Atsumu. Of course he didn't like that he was here because of his and Osamu's actions, but there hadn't been a way around it. Suzuki, the ultimate moron, had talked too much. It was only because of Atsumu's fast thinking and Osamu's self-taught hacking ability to temper with evidence that he was able to stand next to heroes, and not watch them through bars. 

Neither of the twins have ever been to a funeral before. Atsumu performs the Switch, to let Osamu see it too. He's brought back by Tobio's hand, curling around his. Tobio had been devastated by the news, couldn't believe it when Atsumu got off the call with Sakusa. Of course Atsumu had known that Suzuki was dead, but he was glad he took the call and could fake his grief. 

He’s only able to fake through this by mimicking Tobio’s feelings of grief and loss.

Tobio's sorrow was enough for the both of them. Komori nudges Sakusa, the two of them sitting in the chairs brought by the cremation clerks. Atsumu didn't need to sit, and was glad when Tobio denied the offer too. They both stand behind the chairs, watching a live feed of Suzuki's ordinary white coffin roll forward into the oven.

"What are we going to do with the ashes?" Atsumu asks. Sakusa rolls his shoulders. Komori turns to him instead. 

"I think the policy is that we pay the burial, right?" 

"Yes, but he didn't sign the witness protection papers I sent him ages ago." Sakusa grunts, all his limbs tightly spun among each other; one leg crosses the other, close to himself. And his crossed arms might have broken a rib or too if his super-strength could activate against himself. "The moron. Under commoner law, he deserves a spot though. It's not up to us to decide where and when, however. Anyway, this is as far as I'll take him. Stupid idiot," Sakusa sighs, then stands up, leaving. Komori watches him go, his arm on the chair's edge as he looks up to Atsumu and Tobio, then concentrates on the latter.

"Hey, don't take it to heart, kid. Suzuki had a tracker and everything. It didn't seem like he was in trouble." 

Tobio opens his mouth, but Atsumu's hand pinches him. 

"Later," Atsumu warns, and all of them leave when there's nothing left for them to do. No goodbye's nor offerings of apology. The way of the people who have failed to protect the innocent and helpless, even though Suzuki wasn't all that. And Atsumu doesn't have much to say to begin with, being the cause.

As they track their footsteps back to the car, cawing from a nearby tree distract Atsumu from his thoughts. The sound edges closer. A small crow hopes besides Tobio, it's beak opening for three caws in a row, a pause, then three caws again. Looking up as the wind rustles a nearby tree, Atsumu spots an entire entourage of little black spots on its mostly bare branches. All of them silent. When Atsumu looks back to the little crow, he finds it gone from the earth and perched on Tobio's shoulder. Not until the car is within arm's reach does Tobio shoo the little bird away. 

Atsumu opens the door for Tobio, who seems absent still. The umbrella is opened in his other hand. Sakusa waits in the car. As he sits down, Atsumu files the little piece of information away for later.

"We have some serious issues." Sakusa starts when everyone sits and the doors shut. Atsumu looks at Tobio, who looks as intent on fighting evil as ever.

Not knowing its sits right next to him. 

"I thought we were going to discuss it later," Komori inserts, but Sakusa clicks his tongue. 

"I'm having the office checked. Again. There must be bugs somewhere, a system failure. My car has daily checks so I know it’s secure. Don't any of you call me paranoid. It's just a feeling I'm having and I'd rather act on it than be sorry later. Also, Suzuki's readings cannot be right. Who the hell feels calm when he's being stabbed to death?"

"And it was just one wound, you're sure about that?" Tobio leans forward. Sakusa hadn't released the images yet. Atsumu could have sworn there was a time and place for this, but if Sakusa was suspecting...

"Yes, one single stab in the back. No other pressure points or wounds to speak off. He didn't even fall, the autopsy said. Whoever did him in put him down gently. Or so they assume. It's a goddamn wonder they didn't put him into the trash that was close by, or got rid of the body." Sakusa grumbles, on and on, holding his head in his hand, elbow leaning against the car door. "They wanted that poor fucker to be found, in an alley no less."

"It's a sign for... us, I guess. That they knew, or that Suzuki just wasn't worth anything to them anymore." Atsumu's careful with what he says, but being silent about this and offering no ideas would be suicide. Not just for him. Although he sits in the midst of heroes, his own cover isn't the only thing he has to protect.

Komori nods. "Right, right. They left him in an alley, easy to find for the work commuters the next day, or the trash men. Police was actually alerted earlier than that. Let's see... Report says 5:48."

"I hate this." Sakusa's eyes were now hidden behind the palms of his hands, his elbows on the steering wheel. "These morons of the office are asking all of us for alibies, too. Komori and I gave ours already, but—"

"Miya-san and I were together the entire night. Surely you can check that with the hotel staff. We even had room service ordered—" Sakusa's hand now in the air stops Tobio's statement. Atsumu can't help but smirk.

"Alright, alright. All of us are accounted for. I will let the office know." 

It is that simple.

Yet an unpleasant weight shifts in Atsumu's stomach. He should be happy that he gets off this easy (and the pun makes an even less pleasant sound in his ears). He didn't even have to say it himself. When Sakusa called he had mentioned being with Tobio, and it had been a little past 7 am then. A mutual alibi didn't always work, but who would not believe Tobio's earnest statement? One of these days Atsumu should thank the gods for giving Osamu an able to mind. To be able to loop security cameras and cause little disruptions for the receptionist to not be at his station once but also twice, letting Atsumu slip in and out without being seen. 

"Drive back, start over? Suzuki gave us a lot of work and we're no closer to this mole. Might even be the killer." Komori tries to refocus their efforts away from suspicions in their little circle. The voice of reason has Sakusa starting the car. The road back hopefully less dreadful then the ride here. 

Watching the crematory disappear from view, Atsumu is glad that whatever secrets he keeps from Tobio, at least they don't have Suzuki's ashes sitting in between them. In the air however, he sees the crows flying, becoming one single black smudge in the otherwise grey-washed sky. They appear like an omen. As Tobio’s hand curls around his, the thought vanishes.

 

*

 

The day started unpleasant, and moves forward like a slug. Every now and then, Motoya entertains himself watching Kageyama and Miya. Kageyama's forward statement this morning about his _and_ Miya's alibi hadn't come as a shock to either him or Kiyoomi. His honesty and eagerness to prove his innocence was kind of endearing. Motoya didn't believe anyone in the room or even in this building could be a suspect.

That thinking however, is what got people killed. Motoya had felt like shit all morning. When Kiyoomi got the call, he woke Motoya up not a few minutes later. They hadn't gone to the alley where Suzuki had been offed. The pictures of the crime scene would be brought to Sakusa anyway. 

They had looked at them half the day, before Miya wanted to have lunch and they had to clear the desks. 

Checking the time, two hours had gone by since then. Motoya knew this was police work, but Kiyoomi wanted all of them to take a look. Whoever the spy was, the 'hero' who was a rogue villain all along, either used a knife, or tipped the organization Suzuki worked for. But Suzuki had come to that place either willingly or drugged.

"And we still don't know who their contacts are in the west..." Kiyoomi groans, massaging his forehead with his fingertips. "Suzuki knew, but was too afraid to tell us." 

Motoya remembers the two confessions tapes. Both in Kageyama's and Miya's hotel room, Suzuki had given a closer account, or so they had hoped. There had been ways to find out more, to urge him to talk. And they had been so close to getting to it... but his death had come as a blow.

An hour later, Kiyoomi comes to the end of his wits. He pushes together several pieces of papers and folders, a clear sign to Motoya's watchful eye that he was done for the day. Stretching his arms over his head and backwards, Motoya lets out a tired sigh too.

"Anyway, you got work for us or..?" Motoya watches Kiyoomi, who gives him a bored look. Kiyoomi's chair turns away from the desk and he rolls it to a dossier cabinet. There's a couple in this loaned office, and few of them have locks. The pictures of Suzuki's body is not theirs to keep, and Kiyoomi will have to return them. Instead, he takes another file out of the cabinet and slams it on the table. A file this thin shouldn’t create such a heavy sound. It holds exactly two pieces of paper, but Kiyoomi uses his power to make an impact.

"Free days. I don't know why anyone would grant them, but we have them no less. Kageyama, are you sure you don't have to fly to anywhere outside of Kyoto?" 

"No. My office says they can manage. If something comes up, I can do back to back flights at night, if you don't need me. I _do_ have to transfer a couple of my feathers with an express delivery, but I don't need a free day to do that," Kageyama says in his clear and concise voice. Kiyoomi prefers this kind of talk over anything romantic; it's something he can understand better.

"And they just... regenerate overnight? Can you even fly if you rip out a couple?" Motoya asks, leaning his crossed arms on the table and puts his head on top. It's what he can do when they're on a break. Kageyama nods. He says it is just like losing hair.

"It can be painful if I do it too often and it would hinder me if I did it daily. But the process is mostly fluid for the regrowth and I can be on alert nonetheless." Kageyama explains a few things Motoya had wondered about all this time; stuff that Miya might know already, as he looks on his phone, and which Kiyoomi might have demanded to know before taking Kageyama on for this mission. To Motoya, it's a whole new world; he always wished he had a flying quirk, not just one that allows him to fall without being afraid.

"Chit chat's over. Point is," Kiyoomi mumbles, flipping the file open. "Miya over here requested a free day for... next week, the 5th of October. 12 hours good enough?"

"36, if you please," Miya grins up from his phone, then wiggles his eyebrows at Kageyama. The latter doesn't even blush, which Motoya finds quite a feat. Unlike Kiyoomi whose face darkens at the mere implication of Miya's moving brows. 

"Whatever. I got to bring back these files, then see what else we can do. But everyone stays here or in the vicinity. No quick rendezvous at the hotel or the toilet or wherever you deviant people wish to intercourse..." Kiyoomi moans, leaving before hearing Miya's retort. Instead, the little devil shakes his shoulders in laughter, having Motoya laugh with him too.

Despite it all, they're safe. They're still here, and on the case. And he's sure together they will find this blasted liar and pretender.

 

*

 

Komori and Atsumu stand near the door, one stirring the sugar into his tea and the other a small muesli bar from a nearby vending machine. Tobio's eyes keep going back to the thin file at an arm's lengths. Atsumu hadn't mentioned a free day to him. There had been no mention of a day so important he’d need not just a day, but an entire 36 hours away from work. 

What gnaws at Tobio’s mind is the familiarity of the date: October 5th.

Besides the thin file concerning vacation days are their personal files. Komori had apprehended Sakusa's cabinet keys, and smuggled the papers out. They now lay side by side, as Komori and Atsumu were bend over the paperwork concerning Sakusa and Komori himself. Tobio had no interest as to what his file would contain. His fingers fidget for the remaining other one. And how wrong it would be to sneak. 

Knowing for sure the two of them have their backs turned and are not watchful, Tobio turns both the thinner file and Atsumu's personal one upside down and towards himself. And the free day comes off the page in bold letters not just once, but twice. With one hand, he shoves the files away from him. Then he stares up at the calendar, swallowing pride and... disappointment. Without thinking he stands up from the desk and runs for the door, mentioning in passing that he needs to run an errand.

"Hey, you're going out? Could you bring something for me," Komori half asks, as he searches his suit pockets for chance. Atsumu drops Sakusa's personal file. He takes his jacket from where he threw it as they came back from the cemetery, just to spite Sakusa earlier. 

"I'll join you. Could use some fresh air, too." Being distracted by Komori handing him money and a wish list, and at the same time disarmed by Atsumu's smile, Tobio cannot deny him coming along. They walk out of the police station, leaving cries of Komori's text messages and him just now realizing he’s been left all alone, behind them.

“It’s weird huh, wearing this all day. We should have brought a change of clothes,” Atsumu mentions, flapping the suit’s hems. The rain had ceased in the long office hours, but the streets still showed signs of it. As they cross the street, without thinking and nothing to hold him back, Tobio's head swivels to Atsumu.

"It's your birthday next week."

"Correct. Wait, I can't remember telling you." Atsumu keeps his voice easy, not showing any irritation. Tobio's shoulders shrug. He had seen the date once before, when his assignment came to his office in Miyagi. Yachi had given him a brief overview of who the other heroes were, including personal information. Some of it was less public. During three years in high school, as memorization became necessary, Tobio had become able to see things and store them in his mind.

"A file. I—I just remembered the date when Kiyoomi mentioned your free day..."

"So that’s why you were looking so angrily at the calendar! Yeah, it's my birthday. Sweet 22 years." Atsumu's face hardens. It's not as if it changes drastically from one emotion to the other. But the smile seems forced, the voice too light to fit the image of uncaring. Atsumu meets his eyes, but they're... different. Less here and more elsewhere. Tobio guesses he should have prepared something.

"I'm sorry I didn't think about it earlier. If it's next week, we can still make plans... Maybe there's not much for me to do then, and we could hang out—"

"Don't worry, Tobio-kun. As a rule, I don't celebrate my birthday." Atsumu enters the convenience store first. Tobio stands before a door shutting before he reaches it. Finding Atsumu inside is no problem given their height.

"So you're not going to see your brother?"

"No, why should I? Osamu doesn't celebrate either. We never do anything 'special'. It's just a... normal day. But I don't want to see anyone, or hang out with anyone. I just rather be alone."

Alone. For 36 hours.

Having thorough experience with building up walls and trying to hide, Tobio can see through Atsumu's facade. He's just not sure why it’s there, what would be the reason for someone to not celebrate his birthday. Sure, Tobio didn't like crazy parties or doing anything too extraordinary. But he liked being in the presence of his friends and eat cake, or reaping the benefits of receiving cool gifts from them. Sugawara's and Yachi's gifts were always the best.

 _We're not yet at an age where you'd stop celebrating... right?_

"Don't you want to eat cake, at least?"

"I really don't care, Tobio." Atsumu doesn't look at him, walking around the aisle and getting snacks. "Look, don't do any planning. I recognize that face. Just. Come over to my hotel room in the evening. Bring only yourself, and we can do other stuff."

Confusion spreads in Tobio, as he walks after Atsumu. He takes a tea drink for Komori, not looking at brands or prices. He's busy following his boyfriend, who avoids the conversation; Atsumu fills the basket more and more, about to eat half the store at this rate. He hadn't mentioned being this hungry... only that he needed fresh air.

"Atsumu-san," Tobio stops right before Atsumu turns, his face polite with forced niceties. It makes the odd feeling in Tobio's stomach grow and grow. 

"Listen, I'm just going to say this one more time; I don't care about birthdays. I don't want a present or to eat anything special or to go anywhere just because I was born. You can wrap yourself in a bow, but that's the extent of what I intend to do on my birthday. Drop it." The facade cracks when Atsumu searches Tobio's eyes, who feels a pang of hurt go through him. 'To do'... to do _him_. Tobio doesn't like this crudeness, and can only guess that it comes from a dark place, where Atsumu might still be hurting over something. If he doesn't want to talk about it, Tobio can't be a judge of that. 

"Sure, I can come over... If that's what you want."

"Yes, that's all I want." Atsumu sighs with relief, turning to finish up buying snacks. Tobio stands forlorn between two aisles, speculating.

 

* 

 

Kiyoomi returns to a mess. The entire table is once again full with contents of food and finished drinks. Not a single piece of garbage founds it way to the still empty trash can. The thing that has his gaze turn cold, is that there’s just one person sitting at the filthy table.

“Where are they?”

Motoya doesn’t look up from his phone. His shoulders are lower than the top of the chair, his stomach almost one line with his legs. He scrolls on his phone, registering Kiyoomi’s question half a minute later.

“Oh, you know how the kids are these days.”

“I really don’t,” Kiyoomi grunts, a severe dislike of the topic giving him the shudders. As Motoya felt it, too, he looks up to him.

“Come on, you can’t ask them to stay holed up here all day and night. They need release, as much as we all do. Just, in a different way. A fun way!” Motoya adds, grinning still as Kiyoomi rolls his eyes and puts on thin, plastic gloves. If no one else cleans, he will. And maybe it is better that those two aren’t in here bothering him with their lovey-dovey bullshit.

“Send them a message. I give them half an hour.”

 

* 

 

Their phones beep behind them, but Atsumu’s tongue is too busy at massaging the tension out of Tobio’s neck. He has him pressed against the window, night falling in front of them. Outside the hotel, lights come alive, and the streets keep their busy sounds. Here in this dark room however, the only sounds are fingers undoing the suits, and Tobio’s gentle breathing raptured by a moan.

“Sorry I behaved so beastly today. I never talk about it… but I am sure one day I will confine in you,” Atsumu says, kissing the neck in a more innocent matter than what his hand is doing inside of Tobio’s pants. Standing behind him, Atsumu made it tonight’s mission to pleasure Tobio to the fullest, as quick as possible before Sakusa make break down the door. Jerking him off, Atsumu asks if it all is to Tobio’s liking.

The voice answering has his skin sizzling with want.

“Lower, please…” Tobio requests, his head falling forward. Atsumu complies, using his free hand to pull suit jacket and white shirt down further. Kissing down the spine, Atsumu pauses every vertebrae or so, listening to Tobio’s increased breathing pattern. When the command comes, he follows. “Further.”

Atsumu’s tongue licks between the shoulder blades, feeling the tension of constrained wings hiding below. It’s a dangerous place to be, but Atsumu feels no fear. Whatever would come loose, should be let loose.

“Here?” His hot breath whispers on warm skin, and his hand increases its speed on Tobio’s penis. The sensitivity is just right, and Tobio shivers instead of answering. Throwing the suit jacket and shirt on the ground, Tobio places his two hands on the window, his back muscles moving. Atsumu stands up fully once more, pulling his lover close for a kiss.

There’s a pull he feels, but he barricades his mind and body against it, shielding this what he cherishes until the last moment.

 

When Tobio comes, Atsumu helps him clean up. But when he gets dressed, Atsumu shakes his head.

“I have a phone call to make. Private. You go first, smooth Sakusa’s feathers a little,” Atsumu winks, watching Tobio pull away with reluctance in every step. They’d changes clothes, not wanting to be in suits all night.

Once Tobio is gone, Atsumu cannot deny the voice in his head a second longer. When he allows Osamu in, he hears a quick {"I am sorry."} in his mind before the Switch is performed and he finds himself standing in a spotlight. 

A literal spotlight hangs above his head, blinding and illuminating him. Where its light stops at the edge of dark, he sees feet and nothing more. The stench of sweat, money and other things he doesn't want to think about enter Atsumu's consciousness as he breathes in through Osamu's nostrils. Always the smells and the voices, never the bodies or the faces. Their top 3 bosses were delighted to keep their identities hidden. But they'd done so _after_ the twins entered the organization. It was a recent tradition, which didn't erase the memory of their faces of either the twin's mind.

"You reckon they done it yet?" A voice of steel and blood and irony filters through; Boss # 2 was ever the impatient. Whenever someone in their club of evil-doers did wrong, Baba Hiroyuki's hand was fast to slice the air and hit its target. For bigger offenses, he likes to be the one to take a finger, most of the times more than just the one.

"Who the hell knows..." Boss # 3's voice rings through in a higher octave. Osamu always mused that this is what rats would sound like if they could talk. Chiba Kanezane was in charge of all money business, and how to multiply it. He was also the reason the organization was working closer together with the villains in the Kanto area. Atsumu couldn't help but hate his face the most; it has always been Chiba who puts the prices on all things. Even a human life. 

Baba's larger frame makes the chair he sits i creak loudly, and Chiba's feet cannot stop irritatingly tapping the granite flooring. Atsumu focuses his sight onto the shoes in the middle. Polished black, non-pointy ends. The heels which the twins have been kissing for far too long a time. The middle seems a void of noise, patient but angry.

The Switch is not a visible thing to anyone else. They had filmed it, once. Too curious to know. While it felt inwardly like being pulled at the middle and at the head, their bodies had remained immobile. And as Atsumu stands still under the gazes he knows to be there, he doesn't want to keep any of them waiting for too long. Osamu will take his body back afterwards, after all.

"I'm here, Asato-sama." Atsumu bows. Even as he cannot see where the head lies in the shadow, he bows deeply enough to make sure his neck is visible to his boss. 

"Having fun over there in Kyoto, aren't you, Atsumu..?" Asato's voice is like oil, carrying a gritty grind to his accusations and questions. while Atsumu had been able to dissuade giving out information on the phone. His jaw sets before replying.

"I wouldn't exactly call it fun. It's a job like any other," Atsumu tries to act nonchalant, but everyone here its so much more than that.

"How's Yamamura doing? Have you seen him lately?"

"Oh, of course. He's holding up just fine." Atsumu knows where this is going. He also knows Osamu is working on it himself. But they need a physical person there after all. 

"Wouldn't you think he needs fresh air?" Asato drawls on, hooking one leg over his other. Atsumu feels bile rise in his throat. The amount of times he has to deal with any of these people maxes at once per person. Having them all here in the room, and Asato hinting instead of being direct with him, leaves him uneasy. The one man commandeering the entire clan always wants his underlings to suggest what he wants them to do. This here was no different.

"I suppose so."

"He supposes," Baba spits. "Do you also suppose that your time there is well spent in bed, you cockroach?"

"If it serves the grand plan, of course. And it does."

Asata laughs, a rare, deep rumble that brings back the worst of memories. Atsumu has difficulties standing on Osamu's feet. 

"As long as it does, I won't grieve you your little escapades. But the results, young one, are everything. Without them..." The threat hangs in the air, to be repeated and felt by Osamu when he's back in here. For now, Atsumu pushes away the screams of children in his head, and the voice of desperation. His tattoos itch, but he keeps his fingers tight in a fist. 

"There's so much more to Kageyama, and I don't want to give you half-hearted assessments before everything is known."

"Bring him to the lab!" Chiba cries, his hand momentarily slicing through the lit air. "We will figure out what that cursed raven boy is good for. And we can do it _without_ fucking him three times a day." 

Baba's laugh adds salt to the injury, and Atsumu's throat constricts. His stomach keeps on turning in a wish to return the good food he and Tobio dined on before. 

"He claims they're crow wings, first of all. And yes, it does matter. For a minor distinction between animals might be of balance in the survival of the fittest. You wanted Osamu and me to go as deep as we could as heroes; this is what we do. This is exactly how we need to operate to not arouse suspicion! Only like this can we turn the tide to your favour." Atsumu directs his speech to Asato, knowing he'll see reason. "I am so close to delivering him to you—"

"Phah, delivering him... I have you know that our finest technician, and that worthless twin brother of yours, are working in a nifty little cage for that bird boy. All you have to do, is lead him into it with crumbles of bread. Nothing more!" Chiba scoffs, muttering curses under his breath. Asato's hands rises to cut him off.

"It is as you say, Atsumu. Do remember that I am not a patient man, however, and that without evidence of your loyalty... well, you're somewhat safe in Kyoto, surrounded by your three little friends. Meanwhile, Osamu is here. Did you know we grounded him for a while? Given that I partly think it's his fault Yamamura is imprisoned." Asato's second laugh is a lengthier, more repetitive thing. It's the kind that would build and build in movies, until the super villain's cackle is close to insanity. But with Asato, it stops rapidly. Atsumu can hear his mouth from the grim line.

And that he has to offer to free Yamamura on his own.

"I will get him out, no worries. In any case... If you want to punish someone, punish me once I am back. Osamu wasn't even there." 

"Ever the co-dependent and protective brothers, aren't you," Asato sighs. "Fine. I shall uplift Osamu's house arrest. Given that the two of you always travel to Amagasaki this time of the year. And I trust that Yamamura might be able to see the sky before that. Now that would be something to restore our trust. I will tell Osamu the good news, if you don't mind."

With the flicker of Asato's hand, the twins perform the Switch once more. 

 

Atsumu reels back, feeling out of breath. He checks the time, finds no more than 15 minutes have gone by. Speeding out of the hotel, he calms himself before running to the police station, his mind racing. Once his brother is free from their boss’s clutches, he enters his mind.

{“Asato has let me know in his own special ways that the sooner Yamamura goes free, the better. Have you talked to him yet?”}

[“To Yamamura? Just once. I know it’s me who has to free him, but we have to create a diversion. And it has to look like a struggle, like I tried stopping him. The only problem is—“]

{“There’s a hundred problems, but I know the one you talk about. He’s quirkless. He wouldn’t stand a chance against us in a real fight. But there’s always a way. You know the one.”} Osamu says, and Atsumu nods to himself. Pain is answer. He wasn’t ready for this tonight, but they had to constantly ready to obey. He knows the way, but he likes it any less than killing Suzuki. Atsumu doesn’t like the pace of it, though. Yesterday a murder, and so soon after Yamamura’s break for freedom. Their bosses are antsy and afraid. As if time is sand, slipping through their fingers.

[“Must we do it tonight?”]

{“…I will tell you in 10 minutes. Good luck,”} Osamu says as Atsumu enters the building and goes straight for their little headquarters upstairs. Sakusa isn’t making it any easier for him.

“The hell you think you are for coming and going as you please?” Sakusa barks from the table. Komori has his head bowed over a text, and Tobio’s eyes do not meet Atsumu’s either. It’s nothing Atsumu can’t handle on his own, anyway. He has other problems.

“Relaaax, will you? You said yourself we’re no closer to mole than before.” Atsumu keeps mum about Yamamura. Bringing him up now would raise suspicions. Sitting next to Tobio, he’s glad when his boyfriend doesn’t ask about the ‘phone call’, and shows him what they had been discussing in Atsumu’s absence.

“Infiltration? You’re kidding,” Atsumu laughs in Sakusa’s face, sitting down. “We are too known to whomever it is we’re fighting. You’d need a new face, and he cannot be a registered hero.”

Tobio’s face betrays no emotion, but Atsumu has the feeling that he’s leading the discussion round and round, to topics already gone through. It’s better this way; if they make no progress, if they won’t be able to discern the right course of action, it will buy Atsumu more time. He has them where he needs them to be, helpless heroes.

Except that Sakusa isn't helpless in the least. He's handing out notepads and pens.

“Anyway, the police chef has let me know that they’re making one last attempt to get information out of Yamamura tomorrow. If it fails once more, they will finally let us interrogate him. Around 5 p.m. We should prepare a scheme, who asks what question. Busy yourself, and please, behave.”

That last sentence is directed at both Tobio and Atsumu, but his eyes keep on the latter. Atsumu grins back, picking up a pen and starts to act out thinking.

 

One hour later, Atsumu notices how parts of Komori’s lower face glows up in his jelly-light. The chin and half his jaw droops low, and his eyes are closed. Tobio makes a sound, and as soon as Sakusa sees the state of his friend, he lets out a curse. Within the same breath he stands up and lifts Komori out of his chair. Atsumu sees how at multiple places, Komori’s body is showing off his quirk, while he’s fast asleep.

“Defense mechanism. The body is afraid he’d fall to his death or hurt himself, so it jelly-fies itself as a precaution. Fucking moron…” Sakusa says, venom lacking in the words. He drags the asleep Komori out of their headquarters. “Whatever you two do, please, don’t do anything strange on the table!”

Atsumu laughs at the warning, well past the door closes. He glances at Tobio, who seems tired too.

“You should go home and rest. I kissed your spine, you’re too tired as well,” Atsumu touches Tobio’s hair, kissing his forehead. “I’ll stay a little longer, to make up for the time I missed.”

Tobio nods his assent, gathering his papers. “Should I stay up for you?”

“Nah, don’t. Just rest, okay?” Atsumu smiles, keeping it up as Tobio kisses his mouth, keeping it firm in place until he’s all alone.

Then he re-opens his link with his brother. Through his eyes he sees three screens filled, one of them a blueprint of the building; from the roof to the garage, Osamu stares at the playground of yet another great villainous act of the twins. Atsumu understands the plan Osamu made, and adds his own ideas to it. If all goes well, they will free Yamamura tomorrow, and stay in the good graces of their bosses.

“A job like any other,” Atsumu murmurs to himself, as his eyes look at the papers on the table, unseeing.

[“I just hope you’re calculating that Sakusa will go straight for Yamamura. He’s finally allowed to interrogate him, after all.”]

{“Tough job if he’s about to be jumped by 15 to 20 guys, though. All thugs he put in there in the last couple of weeks. What a busy bee. But they want revenge and won’t hesitate to play dirty, even if he’s super strong.”} Osamu pulls up file full of pictures of this supposedly distracting group. Atsumu sees them through his brother’s eyes through a small Switch, then laughs out loud when he’s in his own body again. 

[“Revenge is a good incentive, but not enough that i’d fight Sakusa over it,”] Atsumu confesses. 

{“I guess. Maybe that’s why Chiba offered each man a 50.000 yen reward to go fuel that revenge. They were actually sent to Kyoto after Yamamura’s capture and to cause some ruckus. Unbeknownst to them of course, that they were bait,”} Osamu says without much spite, earning another laugh of Atsumu’s lips. 

[“As if Chiba would part with even half that money to one single man that easy.”] The plots may be thick, and the heads of those poor souls even thicker. Even if they could somehow slow Sakusa down as their purpose needs them to do, or take him down, they would never see a single 1000 yen bill from Chiba’s hand. Going to Kyoto signed their fate, and Atsumu doesn’t want to think what they’d done to displease one of their bosses this much. 

{“The real problem is Kageyama. With Sakusa distracted, and Komori most likely coming to help him (and having a few of his own worries to fight through), there’s still Kageyama. And we can’t exactly send goons after him if you’re around and ready to go berserk,”} Osamu muses through their link, not able to see the face Atsumu makes. As if his role in all of this wasn’t clear to both of them.

[“But I won’t be there, will I? Even if you open all cell doors and would somehow audio-guide Yamamura through those catacombs… I have to guide him and make sure no hero gets to him.”] Atsumu had glimpsed at how far he’d have to go. Yamamura needs a quick getaway. Osamu performs the Switch and shows him one of the screens, the getaway car. 

{“Someone in Kyoto will kidnap an officer, assume his identity, and drive the car down to the garage. Keys will be hidden in the usual position, so don’t worry about getting them beforehand. Tomorrow morning, you have to go to this place,”} Atsumu takes a moment in the shared concious to see what Osamu means, which screen to look at. He recognizes the park; it’s close to Nijo, where he first met Tobio. {“Right, there. A courrier will hand you a brown package containing a blade. It’s made of alloy that will erase your quirk for a time. The blade will also be infused with a drug, creating more blood cells. Once Yamamura stabs you, it will appear as if you bleed more than you actually do. There’s no harm done.”}

Back in the office, Atsumu stares at the table. Osamu’s voice has that monotone frequency it gets when he’s acting way tougher than he is, when he worries about his brother more than he can permit himself to. 

“Right, tomorrow morning.” Atsumu makes a mental note. He won’t be able to visit Tobio tonight, given he has to leave early and not arouse suspicion. [“Consider it done. I will be there at the agreed time.”]

It was the longest day he's ever lived through. Not being able to curl around Tobio later leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. He doesn't look forward to tomorrow either, having to start without waking up next to Tobio first or being able to see him. There's little else Atsumu can do about it, and he eases himself into a chair, mentally preparing himself for what's to come.

 

*

 

It is a strange occurrence when Tobio knocks on Atsumu’s door and it doesn’t open. They had gone down for the hotel breakfast since they became intimate after that first night. Tobio checks his phone as a last resort, seeing that Atsumu had something else to do early. Following up a lead. Tobio finds it odd that he wasn’t ask to come along, and heads down to breakfast alone.

 

Later when he arrives at the police department, Atsumu is already there. His concentration is not to be disturbed, and so Tobio joins in with the rest. He finds his work flow easily, exchanging notes with Atsumu once he takes a break. The four of them resume their activities of the night before as if they hadn't stopped. Only when Sakusa stands, does Komori engage in small talk. "I hope I didn't frighten you guys. I am sure Sakusa's explanation wasn't the best. But I'm fine!" He laughs, explaining how his body could never be in danger.

At ease, Tobio relaxes a bit more, allowing Atsumu's knee to touch his under the table.

 

A little after lunchtime, Atsumu stretches his arms up high. “I think I’ll be off to the toilet. Don’t expect me back for some time,” he laughs at Sakusa’s annoyed face, the mention of such matters an absolute taboo. Tobio never understood it. The body has to relieve itself at some point, and mentioning it seems nice of Atsumu. That way, no one would worry if he’d be gone for a longer than normal time.

Tobio stares back into his phone. Sugawara had the kindness to put together a compilation of top 5 successful interrogations Tobio has performed as a hero. He wants to review his stances, the tone of his voice. What cues other villains have given before can be helpful for later. He’s in the middle of listening back his fastest interrogation, when the lights flicker off.

The thought ‘power outrage’ enters his mind, same as ‘earthquake’. But the grounds stay still, and after a moment, a red light flickers on; the hue makes the features of his companions even darker. Sakusa curses.

“Code red,” he jumps off his chair and takes three quick steps to the door, opening it.

The commotion of outside filters in, and sends Tobio’s neck hair straight up. He joins Sakusa at the door, joined by Komori. The entire hallway is drenched in the red light, and from the offices they hear several outcries. One of them repeats like a falling row of dominoes, reaching them with a harsh drop.

 _Detainees break out_.

“Komori, fling yourself out of the window and secure the entrance. I will go straight down to the cells. Kageyama, don’t bother with air-support until I tell you to. Take the private stairs down, and make sure no one leaves through the lower levels! Let Atsumu know he’s to secure the back-door exit. Go!” Sakusa barks his order and runs towards the offices further ahead.

Tobio speeds to the staircase. He cannot glide down there with his wings, and so he takes two steps at a time, jumping more than running. While he shouldn’t think of it, memories of secret kisses and private touches enter his mind as he flings himself downwards. He meets no single person, but his senses are all working. In the meantime he lets Atsumu know what happened, and where to go. _Be safe_ , he adds in an afterthought, then breaks through the final door.

Chaos greets him.

 

*

 

Atsumu checks the corner, a hand on Yamamura before guiding him forward. They have passed so many cameras, and duck under one more. Without worrying, Atsumu waits in front of a locked door, until Osamu opens it. He’s been looping the cameras to make sure no sign of Yamamura and Atsumu would be seen leaving together.

The garage is void of the red colours displayed everywhere. Above, Sakusa makes so much noise that Atsumu wonders if he might break through a couple of floors and ceilings. But the knife is safe in Yamamura’s hand. If anything where to happen, Atsumu would be stabbed in a safe spot, and struggle a little bit to make it realistic.

“Car ready?”

“Of course, Yamamura-sama,” Atsumu grins, which he holds in place as it stiffens. They cross the underground garage in fast spaces. He wants this to be over as soon as possible. He finds the car Osamu showed him this morning through their Switch, and it’s unlocked as promised. Atsumu hands Yamamura the keys hidden above the left front wheel.

The plan’s almost done. Now Atsumu just has to bleed. He’s mentally prepared for the pain. It’s just like any other job, he muses.

 

*

 

Tobio knocks two escapees against the wall, one to each. He flurries towards the garage as Sakusa orders him. Atsumu has been unresponsive, and fear grips at Tobio’s inside, twisting it round and round

Almost all of the cells which held detainees emptied out and attacked Sakusa, whose been knocking them unconscious. Komori was dealing with a smaller bunch. Neither of them wanted Tobio’s back up, and they urge him to find Yamamura, who has not been in sight the entire time.

“Priorities, Crow! Find Yamamura, bring him here,” Sakusa grunts, kicking someone else against a wall, right through it.

Tobio glides to the garage, finds the door locked from the other side. Pulling back, he activates his crow feet, then runs up and spins. His wings create a vortex, a force so powerful that when his iron claws dig into the granite ground, and his wings slam against the door, it breaks down like a twig.

He cannot amuse the thought if he could take down Sakusa with this force.

The scene in front of his eyes, half way across the garage, turns his stomach upside down. The red hues are void here, and the garage is brightly lit. A sudden cold washes over Tobio’s person, who cannot move a single muscle as hi eyes take in a moment suspending in time.

Atsumu stands bowed forward, blood dripping from his stomach. His hands hold Yamamura’s arms, of which one is between them. Tobio hears the hitch in Atsumu’s voice, the prolonged grunt of pain. And then blind rages takes him, as he spreads his wings and beats them to whatever stands in his path. The glint of knife shines, Atsumu’s blood covering most of it.

 

*

 

Watching Tobio’s face through a blur, Atsumu realizes how many emotions he’s never seen displayed across Tobio’s face. One of them is a sadness that pours from the eyes. Teeth gritting, Tobio’s cries are mostly silent. Atsumu wants to lift a hand, but finds his body disobeying. He doesn’t feel pain, doesn’t feel anything.

On top of his stomach, Tobio presses his hand to Atsumu’s slight wound. The blood pours through the open gaps, sticking to the bunch of black feathers stuck in between. Useless feathers, torn after Yamamura’s knife grazed Tobio’s arm. Blood flowers from there, unattended.

Atsumu’s body lies on the floor, next to black marks where a car left in a hurry. Tobio has stooped on his knees, holding Atsumu’s upper body up as good as he could, while heavy sobs wreck his own. Atsumu wants to smile, wants to tell Tobio everything will be okay. That no real harm was done to him. But Tobio’s tears fall on his face before he can. They drown his lips, seals them shut.

Never before had he wanted to confess his sins as badly as in this moment. As his lips open, Tobio shakes his head. He cautions Atsumu to save his strength.

“You will be fine,” Tobio says in between hiccups, his face red. “The medics will be here soon. You will be fine.” The words might be meant for Atsumu, or for Tobio himself. Maybe they’re a thread to the gods.

Tobio’s wings arch behind him, Atsumu’s angel fallen from grace, stooped low to Atsumu’s level. There’s nothing to be said, nothing to be done. As Atsumu’s consciousness fades, he keeps up the barrier to keep Osamu out. As long as his twin knows the plan worked, that’s all that matters. But he won’t allow Osamu here in this private bubble he and Tobio share, to allow his quirk to come through and calm his lover, or his brother’s own ears.

 

*

 

Kiyoomi watches over the scene. Kageyama’s wings, the ends of it, lie in a pool of too much blood for two men to bleed. Medics arrive at the scene, a multitude of ambulances to take care of villains and heroes alike. Everyone was accounted for, except one man.

Cussing under his breath, Kiyoomi turns away from the two on the ground, as a quirk doctor assured him they’d be safe and well within an hour or two. He stares at the broken door, his eyes seeing behind the many walls and foundations. Motoya reports that no camera footage was found, that all data of it was lost during the power outrage. The lights have gone back to normal, the cells are being cleaned and restored.

And Yamamura is gone from their grasp before they had a chance. It’s not even 4 p.m.

 

*

 

Atsumu snorts, and it hurts. He leans forward over the table, which hurts even more. "Say what now?"

Sakusa doesn't care as he closes the file that has fifteen different red stamps on it. A file once cardboard brown, drenched in red. 

"You heard me. I'm limiting the information resource to one singular being. Me. No more transferring, e-mailing, or sharing. This one thing I have to do alone." Sakusa closes the file, then puts it behind him in a drawer he made; it comes with a personal key. Atsumu looks over to Komori when Sakusa's back is turned to all of them. 

Komori, Sakusa's partner against crime for years, merely shrugs. His eyebrows seem to say 'it's what it is'.

"So how are we supposed to do our jobs when we know nothing—" Atsumu starts, not being allowed to finish. 

"Suzuki's dead, the villains have multiple hideouts _we can't seem to find_. The one man we were able to catch runs free. These outrageous quirk-erasing weapons are in the hands of organized crime, and were used against a hero. I don't see how being almost murdered doesn't faze you more or take this more serious. Miya, I am sure you've recovered well enough not to be spoon-fed by my hand. Do some detective work yourself when you feel good enough to question my tactics. Go undercover for all I care, and let birdman over there fly over the city while you ignite it and smoke out the criminals. This information is in my head and nowhere else, and it will stay that way until I know where the goddamn leak is."

"It warms my heart that you actually remember I was stabbed. You do remember, right? I seem to recall your visit _outside_ the hospital, where you had me step out of. To make sure I was still alive... That was only yesterday." Atsumu seethes through his teeth, which are on display in a grim smile. Sakusa does not even blink.

"Kageyama healed you. Your wound is recovering. I have other things to attend than your whining. That blade you were stabbed with, infused with something we cannot trace. The breakout, Yamamura’s escape, and who helped him!" Sakusa storms out, grabbing his coat, scarf and gloves out on the way. Komori sighs, muttering an apology on Sakusa's behalf, then leaves after him.

Turning to Tobio, Atsumu's about to open his mouth, when he's interrupted before the can even start. 

"Why did he call me 'birdman'... surely a hero name like that exist already, and I'm the Crow," Tobio mumbles more to himself, scolding the place Sakusa stood moments ago. If that is his only problem...

"That's all that bothers you," Atsumu sighs, leaning back. Tobio had been next to his bed the entire night, keeping constant vigil. He didn't allow any nurse he didn't know near Atsumu, and ask hundred questions of the doctors and a friend of his at the hero office he works at. This morning after Atsumu's release, they didn't speak of yesterday. Of how Atsumu had been in mortal danger but survived. How Yamamura fled before finishing them off. Tobio had only said one thing to him. _"It's not the first time someone I care about deeply to be in mortal danger. It comes with the work we do. With having friends in the same profession."_ At the time, Atsumu could only think how it also comes with having a heart like Tobio's, so tender and protected. A good heart. Not as rotten as his own. Even with that in mind, Atsumu glances to drawer, the only drawer in this conference room that has a key. A key that ran off inside its owner's pocket. Biting his lip, Atsumu knows his own heart is anything but good. He turns to Tobio, glancing at his silky hair, his fine cheekbones and sharp chin. "Say, Tobio-kun, shall we go by the convenience store on the way back to the hotel? I don't want to order in today."

"I'll go now. The weather forecast said it would rain later."

"There's a chance of rain, but not a high one. We can always steal an umbrella from someone here later."

"Steal... funny joke, Atsumu-san," Tobio walks behind Atsumu, who restlessly turns on his swiveling chair. The kiss on top of his crown comes almost as a bigger surprise than Sakusa's reluctance to work together. Almost. He holds till as Tobio leaves, saying he'll be right back.

Alone at last, Atsumu walks to the door and peeks out, then closes it. Somewhere in his bag, he should have an emergency set of lock picks. After he hadn't been able to break into Tobio's hotelroom that one time without his brother's hacking help, Atsumu's love to be able to get in and out of a place resurfaced. Especially when he can enter a space he doesn't belong.

 _Like Tobio's heart._ Not all places came with physical lock picks as he holds in his hand now. Pushing the thought of Tobio aside (a harder thing than he wants it to be), Atsumu crouches in front of the cabinets. Sakusa's secret drawer wasn't the easiest to pick, but it wasn't high level, either. The door opens within a minute. Remembering fingerprints, Atsumu makes use of Sakusa's standby hand gel cleaner, then dries his hands off. As a precaution, he puts on Tobio's gloves. He has a pair to use while flying, to withstand colder temperatures. They fit. 

In the drawer lies a single document. 

Or so Atsumu thinks. There's also a picture of Sakusa and Komori, graduating U.A. high school. Grinning at such sentiment, Atsumu leaves it inside, then whistles as he opens the file covered in red stamps. For the first few pages, there's just Sakusa's incoherent scribbles. The man created a handwriting undecipherable. Atsumu can't even attempt to read a word or see his name or Osamu's anywhere. 

Then he finds a pristine page, typed and printed. It is thicker and glossier, probably coming from Sakusa's home printer. It’s an exact time schedule, with miniature portraits of Ikuta-kai criminals. Only one of them has a quirk, as stated beside their pictures in little info bubbles. 

["Osamu, we need to switch. I can't take a picture of this."] 

Osamu answers without a question, and after a few minutes Atsumu is back in his body. Osamu had turned the page prior to switching back. Sakusa's writing on the other page is more readable giving that it's more numbers than letters. Dates, times. And a single place marked in red ink. The Ikuta-kai were moving equipment from a few places. And Sakusa had figured out one moving day. Atsumu groans. This assignment is getting harder by the week. 

{"He's getting close. I'll notify one of the goons so they can prepare. Ya think he'll stake out earlier?"} 

["Sakusa? Definitely. He'll watch the place... But I can watch him in turn. Do you have the phone number of the quirk user? I don't know that guy."] Atsumu looks at the face again, committing it to memory. It's always good to know who is on your side.

{"Yeah he's new, and stupid. I guess I'll ask the boss to let me go too. I can wear one of those stinking balaclavas to be hidden."} 

Osamu's voice in his head has a guarded air. While Tobio was next to Atsumu's hospital bed, Osamu also stayed up half the night, Switching in and out to make sure he was okay. They hadn't talked about Atsumu's condition, and Osamu only mentioned that Yamamura had returned to their Hyougo hide-out. They were brothers with a telepathic link, after all, and knew one thing for sure; it wouldn't be made easy to kill one of them off. They couldn't lose each other after everything they'd gone through, and lost already.

["Maybe, but you wouldn't be able to use your quirk."] Sometimes Atsumu hated how they hadn't figure out how to direct their voice. While neither of them felt the effect of the other's quirk, they had hero and villain operations were they took out their own teammates. 

{"No, I know. But our organization will set a trap for Sakusa."} 

Atsumu puts the file back, knowing that Osamu might be in on the plan, or just relaying whatever information he could give. If they were successful, their good graces would rise a little. Sakusa has been an ass so whatever trap Osamu was helping with or knew of, Atsumu hopes it would be a nasty one. 

Locking the file back into place as if untouched, Atsumu whistles his way over to his seat, pretending to study some of the accessible files before Tobio returns with their dinner. 

 

*

 

They stand under the roof awning which extends over the entrance. Tobio holds his tongue, not one to say the words 'I told you so' with pleasure. As Japanese rain goes, the water drops down in a straight line, bouncing back up again. Some of it touches the front of his shoes. To his side, Atsumu leans forward the smallest of bits, checking the dark grey clouds extending over the entire sky. They did not have a car like Sakusa, nor were they prone to take a taxi. The hotel was but a few blocks away. They would be drenched before making the corner, though.

Silent, Tobio's wings flush out of his back and through the slits in his hero costume. His extends one of his wings over Atsumu's head, who looks up to the sudden black roof.

"I don't mind getting wet," he starts, but Tobio doesn't listen to the protest. Walking forward, he pushes Atsumu along with him. The rain comes down on them in a thick shower. Before Atsumu can turn and make them stay in the police station, Tobio grabs his hand, and walks bristly forwards. He can't fold his other wing over his own head, so he keeps it folded behind him. 

They walk fast, but not as much as the rushing people around them. Even as Tobio gets soaked, and Atsumu's legs get wet too, they walk in peace and silence, enjoying this intimate moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dawww, isn't that a sweet ending ( ´艸｀)
> 
> I struggled with the intrigue tbh... Of course I want to showcase to what ends Atsumu will go (with help of Osamu). When I had chapter 2 lying around (and a lot of the rest of the fic written already) it felt like at first I didn't have enough of Atsumu being a bad guy. So then I added and added and added all sorts of otherwise loose ends. Now I might have packed too much into one chapter 8D Also a reason why chapter 2 has become 2 and 3. I don't have this issue later on, it was just in this chapter where I felt it lacked a little bit and then ended up writing too much (；⌣̀_⌣́)
> 
> I hope it is still readable and enjoyable (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ 
> 
> (because yeah, doom and heartbreak are so much fun (o´∀`o) )
> 
> Also I want to thank everyone for the feedback so far. A lot of the comments I received for the first chapter were the reason I was able to pick myself up after losing almost 4000 words of really awesome stuff I wrote before, and keep on writing. I loooveeee seeing people speculating and angsting about whats to come!
> 
> Next chapter will have a lot of ero content; I know a lot people like it (as do I if I can pull it off properly;;;) and there's been some people who like it more without. In any case, the next chapter is super fun, sensual and means a lot to me! I can't wait to show you guys (✧ω✧)
> 
>  **[[[Edit~]]]** : The wonderful [Zero](https://twitter.com/zerojima) created this after working hard on zine entries~ [Please look at this gorgeous piece ](http://zerodollar.tumblr.com/post/174188160764/shelter-x-a-belated-chapter-2-art-for-worse) (and make sure to like/reblog on tumblr my loves!)


	3. Of bright flames and deep waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Covert operations happen not only during the cover of night, but also in bright daylight. But what happens when the sun shines bright on those who carry too much? Not all secrets can stay hidden forever.
> 
> And not even candle light and romantic gestures can soften the upcoming blows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally part of chapter 2, before it all blew out of proportions (imagine reading a 20k chapter after the 5000 words starter. Hell nah). As I have said before, I wrote a lot across the chapters, so most of this was already done. Some of the scenes were the first I had come with, so finally presenting them gives me such a rush (*°▽°*) 
> 
> The chapter starts out a little gross, so if you have an aversion to bugs, please tread slowly. The middle part will have a lot of ero content, but I pride myself on being very soft and sweet about it. At first, I had a couple of unloving bits in it, but I wrote them out and softened it all up.
> 
> Also! A couple of guest appearances! For those that read the fics with every update that I post, I wanna keep some things a secret, so I won't tag all characters until the end .v.b I also noticed during editing that the last chapter felt very stationary/in one place/same surroundings. Throughout the fic I try to keep things dynamic. I am very happy that this chapter can be an example of it (ง ื▿ ื)ว 
> 
> Also also, I am slowly coming for ya'll heartstrings ( ๑˙꒳˙๑ ) 
> 
> Please enjoy this chapter~~ I am having a ton of fun writing and editing and just... seeing it all unfold before everyone's eyes TTuTT

Where there’s a mole, there’s a way underground. And Kiyoomi hates how he cannot threat where the dirt lies without being disgusted. He’s been immobile for the past half hour. His form repels from the sight, from the smell, from the sounds. Afraid to turn, afraid that whatever he sees might get to him. Kiyoomi has seen a couple of dead bodies from a young age, always prepared for the worst. There were some imagery he could live without. 

A few paces behind, Motoya holds his breath, disturbed at what lies in front of them

Maggots and worms sprawl over the corpse, a police man Kiyoomi had ignored greeting only this morning. A message is tacked to his uniform, all crooked. As the minutes pass and Kiyoomi’s anger remains a dull ache, Motoya comes to stand next to him at last. The things that keep Kiyoomi leave just as bad an impression on Motorya, but unlike himself, Motoya is able to step closer to the body crawling with horrors. He reads the message out loud.

“The early bird gets the worm, so here’s a bunch for you to feast on, Powerglove,” Motoya says, Kiyoomi’s old hero name a taboo. It’s just another sign that someone in the ranks of heroes knows them too well. Knows too much. How a single word could set Kiyoomi off, and he’d punch the earth to form a crater. Not a bad idea, considering he might get rid of the dirt in front of him. 

Powerglove. He’d been so proud, graduating U.A. with that name, with his refined costume. But he shed that name years ago. His gloved hand took down a building with civilians still in it. He’d been too ambitious back then, to catch villains, too afraid to touch humans when they fell from the sky. And while the gloves remained part of his armour for various reasons, they were also a reminder. To be stronger in the mind. To be fearless even as he disliked so many things. Ever since, he kept his face unmasked, not wanting to hide himself.

That black history of his life was the reason he wanted Kageyama on the case. A combination of power, flight, and a compassion for the small things that Kiyoomi could never muster. As he thinks of Kageyama, his eyes glance at the word ‘bird’. 

“It’s just a ruse, to make us doubt our own,” Motoya says, looking back at Kiyoomi who avoids his glance. “Surely you can’t think any of us—” 

“Everything is possible,” Kiyoomi cuts through, harsher sounding than intended. But Motoya knows him, ever since they were first years in middle school. Motoya must know he’s just hurting, having to look at this. “That being said… this isn’t the work of Kageyama. There’s certain things no one could make me believe.” 

Kiyoomi looks over his shoulder, as lights blink in the distance. He’s asked another precinct to help clear up this mess, not wanting the friends of this poor fellow to see him like this. Opened up and ugly, the whites of his eyes rolled back, unseeing. Mouth open, even more horrors there.

“I should have warned them. There was a quirk-user who can command things to rot. I knew of him, I should have warned everyone—” 

Motoya stands in front of him, eyes hot and angry. Kiyoomi can’t face him, lets his words wash over him like a hot shower. “This is not your fault! Don’t you see? They’re trying to tear us apart. This is what they want, that we get weak, that we doubt everyone, even our closest allies. Don’t fall for it! You did whatever… you hid whatever you needed to hide to protect us.” 

And still Kiyoomi avoids Motoya’s eyes, unable to meet them. This could have been their allies, indeed. Anyone from their Tokyo agency, kidnapped and murdered, displayed for Kiyoomi to find. He knew the times of trade, the suspects that could lead to more. He had been so hungry to find their next Yamamura, who has disappeared.

On the trail of this rotten quirk-user, who he had thought to be easily traceable, this came on his path. Just the one body, with a warning there may be more. A whole truckload of goods disappeared before Kiyoomi could pursue, unable to move, to cross this path. Calling back up, Kiyoomi has sent a simple message of ‘check my coordinates’ to Motoya. He couldn’t write more, afraid to tear his eyes away. 

“We will double the efforts, lure them out. This is no joke,” Motoya looks back at the dead man, flies buzzing above his laid-out guts. “We will get the bad guys, like we always do.”

Motoya’s fist hits Kiyoomi’s shoulder, a moment of shared strength and reasoning. Kiyoomi sighs, nods. The touch broke a barrier in him, that rooted force of fear. It allows him to think clearer, to walk backwards. Motoya shields him, making sure he won’t stumble. As soon as a little bit more distance is between them and the body, Kiyoomi is able to turn his back. 

He needs coffee with a triple shot of whiskey.

 

*

 

“Did you know?” Atsumu asks, first things first. He’s not happy about another dead body, but as soon as he sees Osamu, he knows it was not his plan at all.

“No. I said he should lay waste to the trees, not another person. But Asato-san is getting restless. And the message was not meant for Sakusa, by the way.” Osamu walks, and Atsumu falls into step with him. He knows it too, as soon as Sakusa relayed the message on the police man’s dead body. 

The air is charged between them. But as many matters pass within their minds over long distances, the twins do not feel the need to continue being verbal as they proceed their walk. 

The incident of the night must have shaken Sakusa, but he didn’t sound it over the phone. _”I know your free time starts today in the afternoon and lasts until tomorrow, but be careful. You’re not my responsibility, but I’d rather not find your guts out of your body with bugs crawling out of it.”_ Atsumu has been cautioned about his free day, but there was little anyone could do about it. Sakusa might have cautioned for going out alone, but in the bright daylight, no one could oppose a little walk in the park. 

Meeting with his brother at Umekoji is anything but. Atsumu thinks himself safe however, especially from the hero side. Making sure Tobio wasn’t watching his every move has been nigh impossible for the last couple of days. Atsumu had to recount stories that happened to him as a hero (and some of them were of his villain activities), which were worse than the simple stab. Making light of the situation, he’s incurred Tobio’s anger, who had flown away afterwards to get some air. Blowing Sakusa’s words of caution in the wind by beating his wings through it.

Atsumu’s eyes look the sky for a second, then direct themselves at the green and blue bruise Osamu sports around one of his eyes. Atsumu isn't happy seeing marks like that on his brother, but he keeps mum on it. They both know what insubordination would bring to them. 

What would happen to their mirror image if they didn’t comply.

"Third bench huh... from which way?" Atsumu looks at the first row of benches, which are empty.

"...In the back. Not right here," Osamu says, leading the way down. Umekoji's grass field stretches out on the left, void apart from one drunk man asleep. To their right stands the aquarium. They pass school kids in silence. Some of them look up, probably those who have never seen a twin in the wild. Osamu muses that some of the younger kids stare at their hair too, and at Osamu’s blue eye. Being seeing ass bleach-dyed yankees who get in trouble is the least of their problems though. 

"How's ya crow doing?"

"Just fine." Atsumu's manner is curt, his eyes straight forward. The idea of betraying Tobio, of having him caught in their web of lies and in a cage, eats away at him. It did so with every word they exchanged nowadays. Atsumu never had this much issue being a villain hiding amongst heroes. 

Osamu watches him now, seeing marks not looks at the marks, as visible as his own bruised eye and jawline; Atsumu knows what he looks like. He hasn't slept, and his eyes are swollen, with dark circles underneath. 

"Where do they all think you are?"

"Well, Sakusa told us to do our own work before they found that unfortunate man. I said I was out following a tip, but since I wasn't sure if it is feasible, I didn't want to bother. Gave a couple of addresses I'd check-up. More for them to go and see if I am actually there," Atsumu explains, surprising a yawn. "Sakusa's knows he's being toyed with, but he doesn't suspect anyone in the four-man team’s circle. He’s now more than ever focused on the police. He and Komori are questioning all quirk-users."

Atsumu watches as Osamu stores this information away to let their bosses know later, once he returns to Hyogo. 

"Good thinking. It won't help him," Osamu muses, bunching into his scarf. Atsumu feels the chill too, knowing it’s partly October becoming a cold and unforgiving month. And partly their work.

 

*

 

They have walked the straight path until they see a mark. A messenger neither of them recognize. A guy smaller than them but older, sitting on the third bench. Osamu has seen enough to know this man is drugged. He stares entranced to the ground, eyes unblinking. Sluggish, his head wiggles every breeze or so to one way, then another. 

The twins take positions at each site of the guy, after a thorough look of their surroundings. It’s just schoolchildren and caretakers here.

The man’s bare arms are on display on top of his knees, and as soon as they sit, words drawn in ink appear on them. It's the same message displayed on both underarms, easy to read for either twin.

 **"Thank you both so much for coming to the agreed place."** The first line appears, then goes away as if wiped by an invisible hand. But the arms do not stay bare for long. **Before you rack your brains, no, neither me or good Hojo here are in the employment of your good masters.** The man's name is Hojo, and it does not ring a bell. **"Nor is the man whose quirk it is to bind himself to a body, and display messages from his to another's.**

Osamu does a count. One person being used as paper, one person writing, and one person who wants to relay them a message. **"I am writing in good faith and at a slow speed, to ensure that the messages are displayed at an appropriate timing."** Every sentence appears for a couple of moments, then vanishes for the next one. **"There will be a time for introductions later on, when the Ikuta-kai transfers some of its power to join our forces in the capital. For now, I would only wish to thank the two of you. Without your great help and abilities, my organization wouldn't have the opportunity it is now given. The Ikuta-kai has been an amazing ally, but we shall not kid ourselves. Your three masters are wasting the potential twins like you could offer to the world. _My_ organization is far greater, and with more quirk-users for you to bond than some low-life yakuza. I am sure you two wish to rid yourself of the Ikuta-kai, and of the yakuza life style. I haven’t let them know the reasoning of my speaking to you. Just that I wish to ‘meet’ you here, if not in person, so in spirit. We do not want to betray our allies of course; but we are offering any incredible quirk-users affiliated with yakuza this escape.**

A chill goes down Osamu's spine as he reads. He cannot check Atsumu's reaction, knowing they're both staring at Hojo's arms.

**The Crow shall soon be captured. If all goes well, your bosses, the Crow, and yourselves shall come to Tokyo before year end. Once we meet, I hope you will have time to consider this proposal: Come and join us, young Miya twins. We appreciate your efforts greatly. Keep doing what you're doing, and of course, don't mention any of this to your current masters. Just know that we will offer you freedom and a lot more fun. We rewards those that help us greatly. Keep it in mind.**

**Many greetings. The League of Villains.**

As soon as the last words are gone of Hojo's arms, he stands up. Atsumu watches him move his limbs in the most sluggish manner, how his knees seem to wobble at every step. Taken in by moment, Atsumu opens his mouth and uses his quirk. "Hey dipshit, can you even hear anything in that mess that is your drugged up mind or," Atsumu starts, letting his own actual fury that came from fear seep through his voice. But the man carries own without a backward glance, not a single muscle replying to Atsumu's riling voice. Its as if he's deaf. Huffing, Atsumu sits back, crossing his arms over his chest. Hojo moves from the benches and towards the woods behind them. As soon as he is out of sight, Osamu releases a breath.

"One prison for another."  
They watch the woods, but nothing else happens. Both of them were ready for explosions, helicopters, special forces. But it's just a cold October day, and their butts freeze to the bench. Atsumu’s eyes are on the skies still, looking for a black spot. Osamu doesn’t see a one.

"And this before seeing mom," Atsumu says, his voice flat. His eyes turn to Osamu, a plea in them as bright as day. “They cannot have Tobio. Neither of them can."

Osamu nods to himself, not sure what he's consenting too. Having Kageyama's abilities in the hands of the yakuza, who would milk him like a cow and sell the feathers, was one thing. In the hands of villains who plan a move against heroes, to settle for domination for once and for all.

 

*

 

It's weird to imagine that only a week prior, Tobio hated the idea of Atsumu not opening up to him or just wanting to have sex instead of talking it out. As his phone beeps, he finds a request from his hotel room neighbour and lover. His eyes look to the date, October 4th, the time being 9:23 p.m. There's a heart as a subject. And the message goes: _"Can't wait until tomorrow night... how about you come over now and give me my present early?"_

Tobio’s never been one for subtext, but he understood Atsumu’s clear and easy. And there was something else too. They had a fight just this morning. Sighing, Tobio leaves his phone behind, sure that if he’d be needed and not answer his phone, Komori would know to call Atsumu instead. 

When Tobio crosses the hallway, Atsumu is already at his door, holding it open. Tobio sees the soft lighting from behind him already. He enters the bathroom, lit by nothing than candles and warm from them all. Standing behind him, Atsumu's fingers trail over his front, opening buttons and zippers. His grin stretches, making his eyes glow.

"What are you thinking?" 

Tobio answers truthfully. "You surely like candles." A chuckled huff brings his neck hair to stand up, and Tobio helps Atsumu slipping out of the clothes. The bath is unscented, and there's not a bubble in sight. Some of the candles have colours, but they are equally without an overbearing scent. The only thing not in the room are rose petals. At least that's how his friends would see it. Tobio thinks its romantic enough without them here.

In his heart he forgives Atsumu to being so flippant about being almost stabbed to death. 

He turns around to him now, allowing that feeling to transfer from his heart to his mouth. Engaging Atsumu into a kiss, he returns the favour of undressing him. They walk towards the bath, one step and one piece of clothing at a time. When they're both naked, Atsumu helps him into the tub. The water is hot, but not unbearable so. They stand in it to let their bodies grow accustomed to it, then sink lower and lower until both are sitting. Back to chest, their kiss continues at the slowest pace possible. The added sensuality of candles and water and the intimate lighting stir an altogether new fire in Tobio's loins. 

Atsumu's voice helps to fan those fires.

"I had a couple of fantasies lately, and thought we should pamper ourselves while making them reality." Atsumu smiles, settling behind Tobio. His hands splash water over Tobio's arms, and soon those same hands run below water, and over Tobio's stomach. Atsumu pulls him closer, nibbling at Tobio's ear shell. "Do you want to know what, or will you see where I'll take you..?" 

It was a question of unspoken trust. Tobio had little to no clue about the things Atsumu wanted to do in here which would be different from the bed. Leaning back into the body heat of this person's arousal, Tobio closes his eyes and lets himself fall. 

When they move, the water sloshes dangerously close to the edge. Tobio checks his surroundings, the candles, the fire hazards. But Atsumu had placed them all like an expert of love, making sure nothing would stop them or distract them. There's a singular black candle in the corner of the tub; Tobio gives a languid glance before Atsumu's head blocks it. 

"Eyes on me," he whispers, and then his teeth attack Tobio's jaw. Whatever happens afterward is a haze.

One broken by candle wax.

 

Sated from their first time in the bathtub, Tobio leans back. He's almost horizontal, one foot propped up on the rim of the tub. Atsumu plays with his chest, his fingers caressing every now and then over Tobio's nipples. There was not much difference of their usual love-making, except that the sounds of a creaking bed were exchanged for water sloshing against ceramic. Sounds of bodies meeting dull and dim under water. The excitement of being sunk without drowning, and having Atsumu keep up a slow pace until they both came, rushes out of Tobio with every exhale. His chest still heaves from the aftermath of his orgasm. 

And Atsumu's lips are never far from his skin. He traces Tobio's temple, the jaw (both the bitten and unmarked side), and even dips as low to kiss a vein in Tobio's neck, feeling the heartbeat. 

Somewhere in those gentle caresses, Atsumu's cock slips out of him. It's not an empty feeling; not with this all surrounding warmth and pleasure lingering in a mist.

"There's something else I wanted to try... I'll show you first. You can decide who of us gets it first." Atsumu grabs behind him, and the black candle comes into view one more time. Tobio's half-lidded eyes are anything but bored. Atsumu brings the candle lower to his body, at the point where it meets the water. In the instant that he sees the bright flame, Tobio decides he's not scared of Atsumu letting it drop. First, he trusts him enough. Second, even if it would drop, there's so much water...  
Atsumu's arm loops over Tobio's chest, fingers splaying against the side, where Tobio's rib cage begins. He angles the candle, and Tobio feels it humming through his back; Atsumu holds his breath, waiting for an reaction. 

"...I don't follow," Tobio says in a small voice, hoping Atsumu won't mind the delay in thought. 

"Okay, hold the candle. Right, now angle it more."

"But you'd get candle wax on your arm like this. Doesn't it hurt?" Tobio asks, and Atsumu bites his earlobe.

"Some pains are equal to pleasure. They're exciting to seek out, don't you think? I never tried candle wax, but I am eager for it...Playing with fire without the ugly burn marks, y'know?" His breath is hot against Tobio's ear, who would shudder if his spine had any room to do so. Swallowing, he watches the candle burn at the wax, how it pools on top. And how one drop of it falls on Atsumu's arm. A sharp intake of breath follows, and Atsumu's body constrict for second. Fascinated, Tobio moves the candle a bit closer to the elbow, and let's another drop fall on Atsumu's arm.

This time, a small moan breathes into his ear. The sensation of it sends a direct signal to his penis. And he feels Atsumu tensing up behind him.

Without a word, he gives Atsumu the candle back, and cleans off the wax off his arm. He's not sure how to offer up his own without looking awkward, but Atsumu tells him to not move. He brings the black candle higher to their faces, then angles it. Anticipation courses through Tobio, akin to the sense when he's about to spread his wings and jump off a ledge to fly. Then a short intense pain courses through him, as the wax drops on his chest. First there's one, then two, and then three others in a row. He widens his legs to brace them against the tub, and his vision goes black.

"Ah, Atsumu-san..." He breathes out, and Atsumu's tongue licks his ear shell, faster than their previous kisses. And the wax keeps coming, hot and ready over his chest, his shoulder, one missing and into the water. Atsumu's free hand roams downwards, taking Tobio's semi-hardness and stroking it.

"God, you're so sexy when you enjoy what I do to you..." Atsumu breathes, and Tobio hears the hunger in his voice. A knee pushes his from below, and the foot propped up at the rim of the tub rises. Soon, Tobio's thigh is closer to him than before, with Atsumu's knee holding it up. Atsumu becomes more hesitant to put more than two drops at a time on his skin, and lowers the pace of it falling in succession. With the time between, they fill it with lip-locks, tongues sliding back and forth as moans fill the room.

"Sit on me... please?" Atsumu asks, almost pleads Tobio for it. Not one to keep his wanting lover waiting, Tobio turns in the water, uncaring that it goes over the top this time. Atsumu holds the candle up and out of reach, his eyes hungry and grateful. Tobio's knees lose out on the slippery tub, and he falls face forward. Atsumu's arm is on his back to hold him steady, then slides down between Tobio's ass.

"Hold on, hands on my chest. Yes, just like that," Atsumu directs him, his fingers slipping into Tobio with ease. Tobio spreads his hands on Atsumu's chest, lowering his palms to cover his nipples. Then his mouth surges forward, to mark Atsumu at the neck. As his tongue slips out, and his behind reaches up into Atsumu's hand, candle wax falls like rain onto his back. His hips buck into Atsumu's, their cocks frotting without coordination. Just pure need has them moving, and the candle keeps burning.

 

"I love you so much, Tobio... Spread yourself open for me, yeah?" Atsumu laughs against Tobio's red cheeks, who has his eyes closed after sucking on Atsumu's neck. Without much hold, he plants himself chest first on Atsumu, then reaches his own hands behind him to do as he was asked. Atsumu sets the candle aside, needing both hands to hold Tobio's back and his own penis. When he sinks into Tobio, he forgets all manners, and his spine arches as he moans out loud.

 

There's nothing else Atsumu wanted but him. Nothing in the entire world. And Tobio would give him anything.

 

*

 

His body is already sore when Atsumu's fingers dig in harder still. Tobio turns away on his side, Atsumu still inside of him, now just one hand able to grab one hip as the other is turned to the mattress. 

"Wanna turn?" Atsumu breathes down his neck, kissing it, slamming inside harder. Tobio faintly nods, being manhandled. Arms under the pillow, he presses his cheek into the creases, bringing his rear up for Atsumu to take and take and keep on taking. He doesn't have anything else to give to a person who doesn't want presents.

When they had exited the tub, Tobio had seen it was past midnight. Without thinking, he murmured the words 'Happy birthday'. His sentence was barely spoken, or Atsumu kissed him hard, his fingers grabbing at the back of Tobio's hair. Whatever softness there had been in the candle lit bathroom was snuffed out as their wet bodies clashed on top of the bed. Tobio's worries about the candles being still lit were bitten away, and a renewed, raw hunger overtook Atsumu.  
"I would have ravaged you against the door after you entered, but I restrained myself. Don't worry about the candles, Tobio-kun. We won't burn alive tonight because of those pesky little flames." 

Tobio decided then and there not to question it. Whatever it was that haunts Atsumu on this day, he'd do his best to diminish it. And if sex was all that Atsumu wanted and needed, Tobio would give it to him. Round after round. 

"Fuck, I'm so horny today... The candle wax was really sexy, too. God you're so hot, Tobio." 

Tobio doesn't particularly like doing it from behind, but he cannot face Atsumu. He's riddled with questions that won't get answered. He wants to make Atsumu come, wants him to be happy, wants him to be tired enough to want to sleep next to him and cuddle. They haven't left the room ever since Tobio entered, and Atsumu didn't want to go out anywhere. 

They would usually order food, but Atsumu had taken Tobio's wrists and said his body was enough nourishment for now.

Tobio groans as the tension builds and builds, but release is far from being granted. Atsumu hands stay on his hips, and for the first time, he doesn't pay much mind to Tobio's needs. Tobio doesn't doubt it's something Atsumu has to do, to forget, or to lose himself. All this time he had been careful and gentle. And rough sex wasn't something they didn't do. Yet Tobio couldn't shake that there was a need in Atsumu that may not be quenched by sex alone. Yet telling him this would lead nowhere. 

"Atsumu-san... please..." Tobio moans into the pillow, biting his lips. Within seconds, Atsumu's front curves against his back. He brings him down flat, thrusting deep and slow.

It only took one plead, and Atsumu lowers the pace to what they had been doing before. His fingers however, have the same iron-grip. As if he was scared that Tobio would leave him. His mouth presses hot and open and moaning against Tobio's ear.

"Say my name."

"...Atsumu-san," Tobio whimpers as Atsumu's deep thrust hits just the right spot. His fingers uncurl from their fists, and he grabs the sheets below him. Atsumu bites his ear shell.

"Say it louder..." And the bites moves from ear to neck to shoulders, digging his teeth in as Tobio's moans overtake the direct order. Atsumu rocks their bodies, until Tobio is flat on his belly and unable to move. His vision swims with arousal and the over-stimulation. The way Atsumu moves makes the most erotic noises in the room, which do not cease even for a minute. Tobio's voice loses all hope to create a sentence, to repeat the name, until his visions whites out to nothing, and his orgasm stains the sheets. Atsumu keeps ramming into him until he himself comes too. 

 

Tobio demands food afterwards. But after Atsumu put the phone down, he grabs Tobio's ankles, and pulls Tobio's legs over his thighs.

"...Again..?" Tobio asks, half exhausted. His body is limp as Atsumu's hands run below his shoulders to heave him up, and he falls forward without much fighting it. Atsumu kisses the side of his face, running a flat tongue over the harshly bitten shoulders.

"I am insatiable," Atsumu answers with a smile. He runs his fingers over Tobio's shoulder blades. Tobio's wings flutter under his skin. He then somehow manages to make Atsumu hold him just so, and not engage further before he has eaten anything. Outside someone knocks at the door, and Tobio lies down when Atsumu dresses and answers it. 

He can't get up afterwards. Atsumu feeds him pieces of soft meat and potatoes by hand. Tobio makes a show to lick the fingers for any leftover sauce or bite it just to tease Atsumu for being such a beast today. Ease filters through the musky scented air, and soon his Atsumu seems calmer and more composed. Sitting up at last, they eat in earnest and silence.

It's then that Tobio feels like talking about his father.

 

*

 

With Tobio, things fall from the sky. They appear like a new star on the firmament. And as a star, the brightness has Atsumu entranced, unable to look away. He is staring at Tobio's dark blue eyes, hiding under a half-lidded gaze. He looks cozy and sleepy, but his voice speaks through the air like clear steel. There's nothing soft about it, unlike the way his body molds perfectly on top of Atsumu's naked skin. They have edges and curves, placed at different heights, but lying side by side the way they do after sex has them melt together like they would during the act.

"I got my father's wings. His are dark brown, with spots of black. But he was never able to fly. I never understood why he was served such a cruel fate; his wings are too small to carry his body. They're not longer than himself, first of all. He can create gusts of wind, but nothing that would blow a body away. And unlike me who also got my mother's gift of self-healing, his tend to break easily under strain."

Tobio's eyes flicker to the window, and Atsumu sees a rare look to the dark blue reflecting back and forth from the sky to Tobio's eyes. Whenever he sees the sky, there is longing in them. It's a void now. 

"He gave up flying before I was born, and he hardly ever shows his wings in public. At home he sometimes has them out, but just because keeping them in would tend to hurt at one point."

Atsumu's voice is small, and the question he asks comes out of his mouth before he's able to stop it. "It hurts when you... have them under your skin for a prolonged time?"

"Yes. I never tried to test the max. My father just told me when I was four to keep them out. Not like I have to be told... I wanted to fly all the time as a child. My wings were constantly out. They're part of my body, and I figured it would be easier to navigate them as soon as possible and in any kind of surroundings," Tobio says, closing his eyes. "I was confused. Whenever I flew, my dad wouldn't come after me. He had wings too, and I remember seeing his for the first time spread out. I did not understand that they couldn't take a grown man to the sky at the time... My wings outgrew his before middle school. It's only then that I understood the physics of it. The issue he'd been facing all his life."

"You never asked him why he didn't fly?"

"...No. I asked my mom, once. She said it's a topic he'd rather not discus, and that it would hurt him to talk about it. So I never did. He always looked after me, and I never sensed despise. When I was 12, I stayed out late and flew back home faster than ever before. I crashed into our backyard, and my wings healed on their own without much fuss. I didn't know until then that they had healing properties. I hung out with my mother a lot, and her sister who knew a lot about healing quirks."

"It's incredible that you never hurt them before that time, and did not find out much earlier," Atsumu muses, glad to see a shift in the topic. His fingers rub around a piece of skin he bitten earlier, careful not to put pressure at the sore spot.

"Yeah, my mother was thrilled. We figured out all sorts of things I could do with the feathers, how to help people. I wanted to be a hero before that already... But once I understood how much I could actually help and make a difference, it just strengthened my resolve. I am just glad my father never hated me for it."

"Yeah, that's really good," Atsumu agrees, shifting. "By the way, I noticed you have a tell."

"A what?"

"See, whenever you are close, I notice that there's crows gathering."

"A murder," Tobio says it without emotion, but it sends a cold, painful stab into Atsumu's stomach. He's glad Tobio has more to say and doesn't require him to dig deeper himself. "They may think I am one of them. It's funny to me, as it happens when I don't have my wings out. They just... know."

"Crows have a knack of remembering a face. Maybe there's just a network of them and they conversed about you." Atsumu grins, his heart more at ease with the change of topic. He is pretty sure that Tobio talking about his parents wasn't meant to prompt or guilt-trip him in talking about his parentage too. Tobio wasn't opening up just to make Atsumu follow in his footsteps, as if reverse psychology would help like that any way. And Atsumu knows it's not because Tobio is too dumb to do such a thing. He's simply too nice. A real hero.

Sighing heavily at the burden of the knowledge, Atsumu turns to Tobio to give him a kiss on top of his head. It's the best he has to offer.

And maybe the worst.

 

*

 

Tobio wakes at night. For a moment he considers just not to open his eyes and turn his body in whatever way Atsumu lies, when he notices the warm body next to his gone. Eyes open and breathing in the scent of the hotel room, he finds him at the window.

Atsumu's back is turned to him, and his arms seem to be crossed over his chest. Tobio's eyes adjust to the darkness, then notices the glint of a phone pressing against the other side. 

"Hmm? No, I told you. Nothing of import yet. I will keep you up to date, like I always do. Yes. Yes. Uh, I told Osamu I didn't know... Mh." Atsumu doesn't speak after that, only grunts short replies of understanding and denial. Tobio feels his whole body has gone still, as his eyes keep on watching. He cannot see the time from his position, but the sky is as dark as they come, and sunlight might still be hours away. "I shall. Yes of course. Don't worry about it." 

Hanging up, Atsumu sighs. It has a depth to it Tobio hasn't heard before. He takes some time to return to bed, in which Tobio feigns sleep. He then crawls back over Atsumu's accessible skin, becoming the big spoon for once as his arms loop over Atsumu's shoulder. 

"Been awake long?"

"Mhno," Tobio says sleepily onto Atsumu's neck, kissing it after. 

"Are you actually awake or about to pass out any second?"

Tobio stays silent. His body is sore at all places, and most sore in one spot precisely. But he doesn't want to reject Atsumu or what he wants outright on the night following his birthday. As his answer takes too long, Atsumu pats his hand. 

"I wasn't thinking about that," he chuckles, linking their fingers. "Just wanted to know if you wanted to talk or anything."

He cannot see it; not in the dark, but Tobio reaches out to Atsumu's biceps all the same, glad they're not lying on their other side. His fingers travel downwards into the dip of the elbow, then up again, before he lifts the arm to reach below. His fingers curl between the bed, the sheets. As his knuckles breach further, his palm settles over Atsumu's rib cage. While below skin and bones beats a heart, on top of spreads a flower in gentle line art and hot pink colours. Then he asks.

"Will you tell me about it?"

"Oh, that," Atsumu says after all, his chin close to Tobio's head. "Just an azalea flower I felt like getting. Osamu has it too, on his shoulder. It was an uh, just kinda like a thing we got on a whim. But I wanted it close to my heart. Anyway, you're asking after all this time? You have seen it before and up close, too."

Tobio doesn't know. It was true that he'd seen the images before. There's another tattoo, larger than the first. In his head, it moves and twists, has sweat running down. Once flat, once heaving, once crunched and distorted by movement. They were on opposites, roughly at the same height. The one Tobio touches goes from the heart area towards the sides. And the one on Atsumu's back reaches a little forward. The flower tattoo was always easy to see. Tobio's mind drifts to it now the other one, and his fingers follow.

"What about this one?"

"You're asking so many questions," Atsumu sighs, a little less amused than before. When it looks like he won't move or answer, Tobio pushes himself up. Not the easiest to do, as the warmth between them is so comfortable, and the musky scent hanging around in a delirious like aroma. He switches on the light, and watches as Atsumu doesn't flinch. From below, his eyes appear to hold a darkness all of their own within.

Tobio sits back to inspect the more intricate of the two tattoos without being distracted by the marks he created there earlier, as Atsumu speaks. "Don't get me wrong. It’s just funny how you never asked about it before." 

At leisure, Tobio's finger traces the outside first. Thunder clouds of black edge roughly into the skin, surrounding a beast. He's seen it before, in a museum of art. But the images he'd seen were of wolves, weasels and even a cat. Never a fox. It's pointy face is distorted by the snarl, and its eyes are as dark grey as the thunder clouds surrounding it. It seems to be discharging, and its tail is an odd mimic of lightning.

"Raiju?" Tobio asks, his hand retreating as Atsumu laughs and rises up to kiss him.

"Right answer. Anyway, I like the other one more." Atsumu takes Tobio's hand and presses it over his heart. Splaying his fingers wide, Tobio looks at the petals and the detail. He likes this one more, too. It looks softer and more refined. Prettier and warmer. Atsumu sighs, falling back, keeping Tobio's hand on him. "I wish I could remove the other one, though."

"You regret getting it?" Tobio asks, lying down besides Atsumu. But he sees how something in Atsumu's eyes harden and something in them appears; there for a second, gone like a flash. Just like lightning. 

"I suppose I do." Atsumu's voice does not carry that minute appearance of what Tobio just saw in the eyes. Thinking nothing more of it, he settles in finality, ready to let sleep take him once more. Atsumu switches off the light, and Tobio's mind drift to a field of flowers.

To a smile that appears in its midst for a moment, and gone in the next.

 

*

 

Tobio wakes up to sound of caws. It’s not unusual for crows to gather at his window, but that was back in Miyagi. In places where the windows had window sills to sit on, which the hotel rooms hadn’t. Sleepy, he thinks about turning on his stomach, to keep that nice and satiated feeling, to fall back into a rest from the long and beautiful night.

“Caw, caw!” They get louder and louder, and beaks knock against the windows. Grumbling, Tobio kicks away the sheets, sitting up.

Atsumu is gone. Instead, Tobio comes eye to eye with a crow. As he turns slowly, sitting, he faces at least twenty of them in the room alone. The window is open, and there’s even more black and cawing. Getting up, Tobio dresses in a pair of Atsumu’s underwear he’s left the night before, and finds a shirt to go with it.

The curtains are half drawn, and outside, Tobio sees a whirlwind of crows. They circle in front of the hotel, forming a flight pattern. There’s a sense of alarm about them.

At once, the crows caw, their beaks never closing. _Danger, danger, danger!_

 

Tobio wakes up with a start. His wings are out in the same second, knocking down a lamp from the bedside table, flipping a pillow into the air. He’s sweaty and disoriented, looking around in a haze. There’s not a single crow in the room. The windows are closed, curtains drawn. Retreating his wings, Tobio bounds out naked out of the bed, opening the curtains enough to let sunlight filter in, ease his heart.

The only thing that’s the same as his dream is Atsumu missing. Tobio grabs his phone, the time and date greeting him first. It’s not yet noon.

“Free day,” Tobio’s murmurs, pushing his hand through his hair. Atsumu’s birthday, his request to have a day off from work. The secrecy about it, the need to be alone. Tobio sighs, his heart starting to beat in a normal pace once more. There’s no messages left for him, neither on his phone or in print. 

He finds his clothes from the day before and his hotel room key card, turning to leave the bedroom. As he passes by the bathroom, something catches his eye. It was just a second, but Tobio’s feet walk back slowly, to identify the spot of white. There’s a stub in the trash-can, carelessly thrown next to it.

“A train ticket,” Tobio says out loud, holding it up. A return ticket to Amagasaki station. The name isn’t familiar to Tobio, and he has to look it up on his phone. Amagasaki, a city in the Hyougo prefecture. 

He hears the cawing in his head, feels the pull of a whirlwind made of a murder. All his hero senses tune in on a ticket, bought for obvious reasons, thrown away instead. Atsumu had thought about taking him too, to whatever business he attends on his birthday. Tobio takes a deep breath, closes his eyes.

And makes a decision.

 

*

 

Atsumu feels like he's floating over the stony path. Passing by row after row first down the stone steps, he follows Osamu past a large tree to the one they're looking for. Osamu has always been more forward in handling this, keeping Atsumu to the promise to come here, once a year, annually ever since they were able to walk. There had been a time between being 5 and 6 years old, where Atsumu had screamed and cried against his father's body, not wanting to visit. It had taken half a day for Osamu to calm his brother down. 

To come here despite the all consuming pain it brought.

This year was no different. No matter their obligations and schedules, the twins would receive permission to visit.

Looking around now, Atsumu glares at the sun. The feel around the graveyard is much too bright, much too sweet. It's not always a pretty this time of year, at the beginning of autumn as the seasons change to colder weather. Atsumu would welcome storms and grey clouds, to match his mood. He's cold on the inside when Osamu comes to a stop. They stand shoulder to shoulder, always this close on this given circumstance. 

"I hate this place," Atsumu mumbles, as tears prick his eyes but are not allowed to fall. He sets down their cleaning utensils. Their father used to come here a lot more often than the twin's annual visit, but he hadn't been able to do so for too many years. Prison didn't grant him outside visits much.

Osamu places the flowers at his feet, to be arranged later in a prettier fashion. Right now, everything seems to heavy to carry, to hold, to keep.

"Yeah, me too,” Osamu replies softly. They clap their hands and bow, eyes closed as they sent a silent prayer.

 _Hey mom,_ Atsumu thinks to no one but his mother, half hoping she won't hear him. If she can't hear him wherever she is, she might not have seen the past 22 years of his life, and how it went spiralling down. All sorts of thoughts fill his head, fill the unspoken air between the living and the dead. Opening his eyes slowly, he watches the gravestone, and Osamu taking the wooden bucket full of water. 

"Let's get her cleaned up," his twin says, voice full of remorse and sadness. Atsumu goes through the action without thought, busy of holding the tears. Time has not made this any easier. He hated coming her, to know this grave better than his mother's face. To know how to stone felt under his touch, and not ever having felt his mother's embrace. Being accustomed to the sound of the eerie silence here, and not the sound of her voice.

He knew this was harder on Osamu, who blamed himself for her death.

But they had been innocents. Barely born into this world. Atsumu wishes time and time again that he could have just died in the womb. Made it easier on their mother to birth just one child. He's told Osamu a thousand times that it wasn't his fault. That they could not be blamed. But regret is a knife that edges into the heart and won't go away. And they would blame themselves for the rest of their fucked up lives. 

Once the grave is void of shrubbery and dirt, clean and pristine, he lets his tears fall. Once a year, in the presence of his brother. As they got rid of any weeds that dare to grow, Osamu arranges the flowers they brought her. They're bright azaleas. The sight of them makes Atsumu smile a little, his chest filling with warmth once again. Next to him, Osamu wipes his own tears away. 

"I'm sorry you still have nothing to proud of, watching your sons grow up," he says to the air, probably wishing as much as Atsumu that she can't hear them, can't watch them. Having at the same time a childish hope that her protective veil is over them both, that they can somehow find the light in the future. Atsumu puts his arm over Osamu's shoulder, and like every year, they stand together in mourning. Atsumu waits until the shocks stop rocking their bodies, and finds his own composure holding Osamu. Somewhere in the distance, he hears bird sounds.

He can’t be sure if it’s crows or not, but the noise brings the image of Tobio to his mind all the same. Atsumu wonders for the umpteenth time how it would feel to open up to Tobio. To tell him of his path. The one that led him downhill and into hell, and upwards into madness, and spiralling out of control into any direction his bosses commanded him to go. 

There had been an almost slip. An almost invite. An almost confession. As the shit keeps piling up, Atsumu finds himself on the verge of breaking. 

Atsumu doesn't have to imagine what Tobio would think of him if he knew. Dead mother and imprisoned father standing aside, he'd never forgive him. An empty laugh breaks the silence of the graveyard; the Miya twins had been born to be fuck ups, but even as their 'hero' names gave the world the suggestion of their true nature, no one would figure out the paths they had taken, along the darkest road. 

‘Double Trouble’, but they were more than just a little mischievous. They didn’t even do it for fun or for the money.

"By the way... the boss questions your allegiances, bedding that Crow. Says you turned down so many whores that he doesn't understand why you have to take a hero," Osamu speaks after his sniffles stop. It’s not the time, Atsumu thinks, but Osamu must have been burdened with so much more in Atsumu’s absence. He had to help with the technological aspects of creating a cage that would hold Tobio.

A sight he withheld from Atsumu.

"The bastard can fuck himself. Don't tell him that," Atsumu says as deadpan as his brother would, pressing his shoulder. They somehow always find ways to have fun and to forget. To not feel eternally burdened with the worst kind of purposes. "He wanted me to get close, so that's what I'm doing. Wondering about my methods when he's done worse things..."

"...I'll tell him to keep his nose out of your business. Nicely." Osamu agrees, then turns away to go back. Atsumu stays for a minute longer. His head turns to a tree at the right side of the graveyard. The bird song has come from whatever direction, as the birds flew between branches of the spare trees here and there.

He finds a couple of black winged creatures on a branch, hopping and cawing. A few trees here still have leaf coverage, but that one was persistent, having a whole bunch. He wonders about Tobio; how long he can keep this up, how long he can keep from spilling secrets. Then he turns to go after his brother, who is already going up the steps.

“What should we get for lunch,” Atsumu asks, his voice lighter to mask his worries.

“Everything,” Osamu replies.

 

*

 

For a second Tobio thinks he has been made. 

Any other animal was afraid of him and would keep well off. Crows on the other hand, were drawn to him, as if he was covered in bird seeds. They perch close to him, caw at him as if he's their family. The younger and bolder ones would even sit on his shoulder or head. Although Atsumu had looked towards the tree, and even if he had suspected Tobio's presence, he didn't come to investigate. Tobio breathes at ease, shoving one crow off his thigh and watches it join the others on a lower branch.

The crows observe the scene with him, watching two figures disappear from view. Only then Tobio leaps from the only tree he found he could hide in, and then the onslaught of cawing starts. Black wings, both big and small, follow the flurry. _A whirlwind, a murder. An omen_. Tobio’s wings glide down, landing in the midst of a minor, crow-orchestrated hurricane. 

Memorizing around which grave the Miya twins had just been to clean and pray, Tobio walks past a couple. He reads the names in passing. 

Until one sends ice cold blocks through his body like bricks. His world shifts. 

"Miya Sakiko." Atsumu's mother, without a doubt. Tobio never knew she was dead. When he talked about his own family, Atsumu had avoided the subject to talk about his own. There was now a recognition in his manner, why he seemed so far away back then… Tobio’s mind can’t even delve into the matter, as something else besides the last name shocks him.

The dates have him draw a sharp breath through his nose. She died on October 5th, 1993. 

Atsumu's birthday. The revelation makes Tobio sick. The guilt of having followed Atsumu here, to observe something so private. Atsumu must have fought with himself, buying a return ticket to Amagasaki, throwing it away. And Tobio followed nonetheless, by air, keeping a watch on the twins movement. It didn't matter that he didn't tell Tobio where he went off to. Whatever secrets Atsumu harbours, this wasn't one for Tobio to pry into. He must come clean, apologize—

The cold autumn breeze carries a piece of paper floats over his sneakers. Tobio bends down to capture the little runaway document. Folded, blank on one side, Tobio opens it up, finding a place, a date. A warning scribbled. 

**Umekoji park, third bench. 9 a.m. Both of you, or else.**

Tobio couldn't possibly know if this was an old paper one of the twins had carried around for some while, or if it was meant for a future date. He couldn’t even be sure that this belonged to the twins, except… Umekoji was a park in Kyoto. And it clearly stated ‘both of you’, which indicates the twins. 

Yesterday, Atsumu has gone on an errand. Sakusa had him tailed, partly by Tobio too, but the places he gave were void of his presence. Reading the note once more, Tobio returns to the tree, where he left his backpack, crow feet, and snacks. 

Taking a small break before the flight back, Tobio looks up the coordinates of Umekoji park in his visor, seeing the most direct route he could take. A voice that sounds a mixture of a warning Sawamura, a pouting Sugawara, a barking Ukai, and a laughing Tsukishima, remind him that it’s long past morning, that maybe the day of this meeting is in the past.

“Third bench,” Tobio murmurs, the guilt of coming here and spying on Atsumu heavy ons his mind. But his gut keeps telling him that something's off. That something terrible is connected to the twins. 

 

*

 

Three mornings in a row, and no one showed. Tobio didn't even know which bench was meant by 'third'. From his position and with the zoom option of his visor, he kept a tight eye on all benches in the vicinity.

His phone buzzes with a message from Sakusa, probably reminding him about the package. As the Kansai job takes so much time, Sakusa requested Tobio to play courier for a night. There’s a bunch of important documents he needs at his Tokyo hero office right away. Sakusa trusts him enough to carry out the deed, and Tobio doesn't mind showing his face there first.

“Useless,” Tobio mumbles to himself, glad Tsukishima doesn’t always listen in on the visor’s recordings. Ready to go, he spreads his wings and takes off.

The flight happens on auto-pilot. He only makes one call, using his helmet and the electronic chip in his neck. 

“Hey Yacchan. Do you have a moment?”

 

*

 

After delivering Sakusa's documents at his and Komori's hero office, Tobio checks the weather. There’s no rain for the night, not all the way across Japan.

His wings take him elsewhere in Tokyo before though. 

 

Crowfeet land on a metal balcony, and he’s being scanned and identified. The lock on the window and the glass door turns green, allowing Tobio to enter. The hospital room is empty save for one orange ball, sitting up and watching T.V.

Hinata’s eyes were some of the most piercing Tobio’s has ever known. He crosses the floor without invitation, without greeting. Just sits himself on top of Hinata’s sick bed, as his friend’s own legs are tucked below him. Their friendship transcends speech, much alike Tsukishima’s and Yamaguchi’s. Much like Yachi’s to them all sometimes. 

Lowering the volume of the T.V., Hinata inches forward. The last time Tobio had seen him, he was on the verge of dying. The last time Hinata had seen him, Tobio said his good bye, ready to go to Kansai for some time. Neither of them could have known what would happen, how much time would go by.

At last, Shouyou hits his arm. “You’re late, Stingyyama! Everyone else visits me all the time,” Shouyou says, then laughs wide. 

"Your body healed, did it not?" Tobio nags, knowing full well why Shouyou is still bedridden and in the hospital. What happened on his last mission plays on his mind. While his body may be healed, his mind has to do so much more after-work. And it was thought best to keep him in close vicinity to his Tokyo senpais, here in the city. Tobio didn't like to think of Shouyou as weak. Which is why he knew it was good for him to be here, to become even stronger than before. 

It eases Tobio’s chest, knowing that hearty laugh and loud voice remain the same volume. As if no one tried to slash Shouyou open and in half. He notices that Shouyou had a haircut recently. Nishinoya must have trimmed the undercut on the last visit here. As the conversations eases from banter to ‘how are you, anyway?’ back into silence, Tobio feels himself refreshed. 

He knows what needs be doing. Even if he doesn’t like it.

“Oh, Yacchan said you should use the printer, by the way. She didn’t tell me what for, though,” Shouyou says, pointing at a printer inside the hospital room. There’s too many things for Tobio to question their reason of being here, but he’s glad for that one object. As he walks over, Shouyou bombards him with questions, then with teases that Tobio’s job is so top secret that not even his hero partner and best friend is allowed to know it.

“Exactly, you don’t,” Tobio says, not without a smile, as the image prints out. It’s the exact one he had on his mind before he left Amagasaki. Hitoka always did such an amazing job, but it catches Tobio, who has no artistic talent, by surprise every time. “Seeing that I am the one in good health and able to work, I need to be going.”

Tobio doesn’t duck when Shouyou throws a pillow at him. He picks it up and throws it right back, gentle. Shouyou only sits up higher, but doesn’t attempt to leave his bed. Tobio trusts his chin out. “You just work hard on getting better. Heroes never rest, you know.”

“That’s my saying, Crappyyama!” Shouyou yells back, already alarming the nurses to check on him. Tobio is gone before another word is spoken, finding it unnecessary to say goodbye. 

 

Without pausing, Tobio flies to Nerima. He's glad that Sakusa's underlings didn't ask him to stay, that he was able to leave Hinata’s side after the talk. That Tsukishima remains silent on the frequency, keeping whatever questions he might have about Tobio’s route to himself.

Night time gives him the cover he loves, as his GPS signals the roof he's looking for. To his pleasure, he finds the balcony mentioned at once. Crow feet ready as he left his boots in his hotel room, they curl around the metal frame of the balcony. Tobio knocks on the window, and dread fills his stomach. He didn't like Atsumu having secrets or withholding information...

And he knew of an easy way to get the right info without asking his lover. 

 

*

 

The knock scares the shit out of Kenma. Wide eyes blinking, he unlocks his legs, letting his feet fall on the carpet on which he rolled his swivel chair on, then walks slowly towards the window. Pushing aside the curtains, surprise takes him as he finds the dark and threatening vision of Kageyama sitting there. Shouyou's friend. 

He points at Kenma's room, then to himself, a question in his eyes. Kenma nods, opening his balcony door to let him in; the sight is amazing enough for Kenma not to avoid eye contact for once. Kageyama filters in with the grace of a ballerina, his wings half out as if he’s being less intrusive like this.

"My apologies for interrupting your evening. Hinata told me he'd warn you... But he might have forgotten to do so." Kageyama grumbles, his scowl observing Kenma's desk. Snacks and a PS vista lie there idly. "I wouldn't have come if it wasn't important. Hinata said you're knowledgeable about a great many things, Scanner. Such as tattoos."

"It's one of the things I take a personal interest in," Kenma says as he nods, showing the insides of his inked arms. It distracts from how flustered he feels whenever he hears his hero name. He's just a support after all. Kageyama has made a name for himself in Miyagi. Kenma remembers to keep his shoulders somewhat straight. Kageyama pulls out a scroll from his backpack, handing it to Kenma. Wordless, he points Kageyama to a low table in the middle of the room, where he can open the scroll. While the top is spare, all sorts of drawing utensils and different kinds of drawing paper hide below. Kageyama finds out he cannot fit his legs beneath, and his wings fold inside his body. Kenma has never seen them go like that, and curiosity grows and grows at Kageyama’s presence here.

Shouyou had indeed forgotten to give a warning. Avoiding Kageyama’s intense glare, Kenma looks at his tea pot, wishing he’d made some earlier to be able and hold a cup. 

“What brings you and this... scroll here, Crow?”

"I want to ask what you know or can find out about this." Kageyama lies the scroll flat for Kenma to inspect. His thumbs brush over the paper, knowing exactly where it has come from, and why might have touched it before Kageyama. Before he’s able to take in the image, Kenma inspects the colours, the paint, the brush strokes. Expect work by someone who loves drawing, and doesn’t do it for a living. 

Kenma’s eyes look up from the paper, scanning Kageyama. "I never knew you had such talent." Because any such art should have come to his attention, rather sooner than later.

"It wasn't me who drew that. Yacchan—Yachi Hitoka, who works in our hero office, was able to draw it up for me after I gave a detailed explanation of what I had seen. It’s her picture," Kageyama explains, and Kenma nods as if its news for him. He knew of course, but it’s nice to hear Kageyama talk about private matters like that. Makes Kenma being able to relax and trust him more. "She's support, same as you. But with abilities that I think... are undervalued." 

Not rising to the compliment, Kenma allows the scroll to roll up by itself before he hands it to Kageyama.

"It's a gang tattoo."

Tobio's hand press on the wooden table. He looked shaken for exactly a millisecond before touching the wood steadies him. His voice lacks any quaver. "Which gang?"

"The Ikuta-kai. They're based in—"

"Hyogo prefecture."

Kenma's head shifts to him, eyes intent. "So you know of it?"

Fright tickles in as Kenma watches Kageyama, noticing the build of rage, slowly like a wave, threatening like a tsunami. Bit by bit, casting over his face and his shoulders, his hands curling to fists. The earliest things Kenma realized, scanned, and categorized, was human body language. It's so easy to recognize what Kageyama feels, as he's taken by a wave of fury. But Kageyama is of the sky, and the evidence of his anger goes by in a breeze, as his body relaxes. A calm before the storm. His dark blue eyes shield themselves in a half-lidded glance towards the table. His nerves at once at ease. Kenma recognizes a pattern of it from Kai’s teachings, who taught Lev and Taketora the same excercise.

"Of it. Hinata wouldn't have told you, but my current mission has taken me west. Kyoto has become a hotpot for trouble." 

"It has taken Kuroo and Kai west too, but more to the southern areas. I don't know much, of course. They're not working with your team, I have heard. Their whereabouts are unknown," Kenma says, but only as a diversion. He's not supposed to know. "What I gather is that somewhere in Hyogo prefecture, one criminal organization is expanding its power and influence. While everyone's eyes are east, they gather strength in the west." 

There were signs, an unsettlement in the capital that doesn’t originate here. Kuroo said it was like someone took a bow and arrow, lit the arrow, and cast it away to burn another place down. To make its fire spread.

Kenma regards the rolled-up scroll. He knew of all the criminal organizations in the land, the ones known and unknown. Kuroo’s mark seems more northern… Kenma should tell him in person next time he’s back in Tokyo, which should be soon. 

Instead he looks up to Kageyama. "Where have you seen this?"

"It was a picture in a file we have on an inmate with connections to the villains that are helping this… particular criminal organization. Or so I must assume," Kageyama says with ease, his eyes cold and menacing. Kenma doesn't want to be that inmate that incurred this kind of emotion out of a human being with wings that could break your spine. 

“Give my greetings to Hinata. He said you visit him every week,” Kageyama says, standing. Kenma notices the small wobble in his knees, how his stance takes a second longer to become solid. 

“You won’t see him yourself?” Kenma asks, watching Kageyama return to the window, his wings not yet out.

“No, I have business to attend to.” 

Kageyama’s voice sounds far away, his words more directed to the winds outside than to Kenma. And at last, Kenma is allowed to witness the greatness of two ink-black wings unfolding from Kageyama’s back, how they woosh out into the room, then wring themselves through the window.

Gone within the second, Kenma doesn’t feel the need to see him off, and stays seated. He’s left the scroll behind.

Kuroo and Kai have to come home. Whatever is going to happen the Kansai region…

 

* 

 

Tobio barely makes it out of the Kantou region before the change of scenery and smells trouble his soul. Body becoming heavy, his wings weaken at the back to back flight over several prefectures in one day. Tobio lets his emotions get the better of him. His wings glide slowly downwards, and before he can prepare in full, his metal adornments crash against a tree, breaking down several twigs on his hard landing.

He expands the talons of his crow feet, and they impact on wet grass. Tobio’s wings stretch high up and above, guarding himself against twigs yet to fall. Brown and dead leaves scurry in a circle around him.

His eyes dart into nowhere, into the darkness he hasn’t seen before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BUT WHAT WILL HE DOOOO. I am so. sososososooo excited (ಠ‿ಠ) You guys cannot imagine how it feels for me to slowly reveal piece by glorious piece.
> 
> So I wrote the Hinata scene as an afterthought, but as something that I kinda wanted to be there. At first I wanted to keep Kageyama all business and unfeeling, thinking to himself that he can see Hinata whenever. I also filled the plot hole, where I extended the time frame and pace, which then counteracts Hinata's 'healing process' as being less swift. Hinata is dealing with PTSD and the almost death he faced. Its an idea I had last second, to give reason why he is not yet released from the hospital (and for something that happens later). 
> 
> AND KENMA!! One day I wanna make a detailed explanation to how all their quirks work... but I don't want to be too exposition in my story-telling, so I keep it all vague. But yeah it has to do with his brain being incredible and that he is good at information gathering.
> 
> Anyway, I have good news for all you fox-loving children and something to look forward to in the next chapter (and its the only thing I feel safe to say): Inarizaki heroes are coming (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)


	4. Before the fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is movement on the horizon.
> 
> With new revelations, Kageyama makes a decision. His flight course brings him to the Hyougo prefecture, to ensure that the root of the problem is not an entire tree. He makes the acquaintance of someone who knows the Miya twins, who employs them, and who trusts them.
> 
> Everything comes to light. Even if its dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I had to split up the chapters a little and add some spy stuff to make it interesting, I hope that some moments don't feel too much as a filler ;v; Anyway, one of the scenes I had ready from the start was the meeting of a new acquaintance~~~ I'm not tagging the character either until I have everything uploaded~ Writing this character a little more in-depth was harder than I thought...
> 
> Tbh for me, while everything is still moving and I try my hardest to have it intriguing, this chapter is a little more mellow compared to the one before, and ESPECIALLY in light of what will happen in the next. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy this one!

The first feather Tobio ripped out of his wings and gave to someone else was to his father. Tobio remembers being 5 years old. His father had fallen down trying to fly, landing on the harsh granite on one knee. His blue jeans were ripped at the place he landed, blood dropping over and staining. His mother, a nurse, was at work. When Tobio got hurt, she usually did the healing. 

Tobio had his wings out, his fingers reaching for a small feather, no bigger than his hand at the time. Without thinking, he brought the little object to his father's bloody leg. 

_'This will make it better,'_ he had said, quoting his dad in fact. Whenever Tobio got hurt, his father would tickle him with his wings, too small to take him to the skies. Tobio had inherited his father's wings. But his mother had told him they might never fly together. His father still tried though. Tobio had flown of the roof of their house a few times, but never when his father was around; his wings would cramp. More so out of nervousness that his father was watching, and his mother's warning.

Not knowing then that the ability to fly wasn't his only quirk, Tobio pressed his feather over the bloody knee. Under its touch, his father's bleeding stopped, and the wound closed. Tobio stared at the once again seamless knee, and his father picked him up, swinging him around, thanking him kindly. It was then that they figured his actual quirk to be a combination of both parents' after all. His mother ability to heal with her hands, and his father's wings.

Thirteen years later, ripping his own wings out had become a habit. The regenerating wings didn't mind the least. Tobio has given each member of his hero agency, from his rival Hinata to his stay-at-office supervisor Takeda a feather for keeps. If they ever needed healing and didn't have Narita or a hospital around, it would be a quick solution. The first time he gave it to a friend, Kindaichi, he noticed the third ability. 

Without prior knowledge, nor understanding how exactly it worked for birds, Tobio noticed the moment he could hone in on the feather someone else was carrying. He learned afterwards that crows, the only animals that liked him, could remember faces. Yachi had mentioned how certain birds flew south, coordinated in a V-formation, always knowing where to go.

When Tobio was in Miyagi, he always knew where the 15 members of the Crow agency were at any given time. He'd knew the route without GPS or a visor attached to him. Giving away feathers wasn't just for them to heal in a moment of crisis; he would always know where they are, and able to help them himself if need be. 

Sighing at the rising sun, Tobio's left wing spreads out, as he reaches a hand behind him to find a long feather. Taking them out didn't hurt. 

The pain in his heart at the moment, filling with doubt and suspicion, was worse than that.

Retracting the extension of himself, Tobio turns to the bed. The last few nights, Atsumu had always found a way into his hotel room, if he couldn't seduce Tobio to come to his. He was half asleep still, even as Tobio opens the curtains all the way to let the sunrise filter over his face. Atsumu grins, arm sliding over his eyes.

"Five more minutes..." he sighs, grin widening when Tobio's body dips onto the bed. For a minute, Tobio doesn't feel anything. Watching the rise and fall of Atsumu's chest, eyes glancing at the the deep, sleepy inhales of his nose. Tobio's eyes glance at the whole picture of his boyfriend, trying not to focus too much at the tattoos he can or cannot see. The warmth under the covers he left a few moments ago. Tobio places the tip of the feather at Atsumu's chin, then tickles him awake. Atsumu tries pushing his arm away, until he notices with what he's been attacked with. His eyes glide over Tobio's face, which he keeps as even as possible. 

"Tobio—"

"For you. For emergencies. I should have given you one sooner."

"Seriously," Atsumu chuckles, his fingers touching Tobio's before taking the feather between them. "So pretty." 

Tobio's bounces off the bed. He's already dressed and ready for breakfast. "See you downstairs."

"See ya."

 

*

 

Feather to his lips, watching the ceiling, Atsumu can imagine himself in a better place. He can dream and conjure wonderful little lies to tell himself. When the pull of the Switch tugs at his conscious, he sighs and closes his eyes.

When he opens them, he looks through Osamu's. A domed room, lab equipment. The hum of a hundred machines in his immediate surrounding. White boots squeaking over pristine flooring. Everything is new and unseen, but Atsumu's attention is drawn to the singular, stand alone pieces right in front of him on top of a hip high table. 

["Thats not a cage."]

Osamu breathes back. {"It as good is."}

Atsumu takes in the technological drawings pinned to the drawing board, the minuscule writing. ["And there's nothing he could do against it."]

{"No. The casing was tested on smaller animals. Ravens, by the way. Chiba is an idiot."}

["Tobio's are larger and heal."] Atsumu's stomach twists, a motion that transcends to both their bodies. He doesn't want to believe that Tobio would have to endure this, fight against this, be hopeless against this.

{"Calculated. I wasn't part of it mostly just... helping with the design and. And the shock therapy. Just so you are aware; it's because Yamamura knows how Kageyama's wings can heal that they now want him all the more. You see that thing behind the board? They want to milk him like a cow. Test the durability and duress of those wings. He'll be enslaved.}

["You're joking,"] Atsumu says in the thought that his mind catches up, that Osamu's brain and knowledge become his own, when the drawings make sense. Everything is horrible. Osamu's apologies bound around in their heads, how they never have a choice in anything, never get to complain or argue or be disobedient. Atsumu knows. 

Atsumu hates it. ["...There's no way around it?"]

{"Not... exactly. The mainframe is a precise piece of work. Acts on voice recognition and other little gadgets. It's remote controlled."}

Mind racing, using Osamu's hands, Atsumu pulls one of the drawings off the board, studies it with all the knowledge Osamu possesses. His eyes widen. 

["Osamu, please. They cannot... they cannot do this to him."] A long silence passes, and they Switch back. The telepathic link stays active, and Atsumu allows the horrors of what he's seen to stay with him. He clutches Tobio's feather, his hands suddenly sweaty. Outside it is a sunny October day, maybe the last beautiful day they will have. Atsumu feels the rise of a panic attack, drowning out the soothing voice of his brother. Osamu might call him, would try to calm him down and relax. But Atsumu wants the force of what he feels to overwhelm him, to let his breath and heart become erratic.

And he lets Osamu see. ["Osamu, I beg you... I cannot protect him on my own."] His twin brother, on the project, is his last resort. If they ever find out... but if it comes that far, Atsumu might forfeit his life anyway. Atsumu sends a single request, a simple idea. Osamu's sigh is loud in his own head. {"I won't promise you shit, but... I will try. I hope you're aware that I'm only considering your suggestion because we just recently visited mom."}

 

*

 

“We got them.” Sakusa shows off a rare smile as he enters the office. Tobio looks up from a bunch of paperwork. Next to him, Atsumu finds the time to joke around, as if they’re on a field trip.

“And what might that be? It’s certainly not food for the hungry and the hardworking.”

“From what I heard, you’re always hungry, even without working hard,” Sakusa straightens his tie before he sits down, staring at Atsumu. “And if I find another cup ramen package stinking up this place with its hideous odours, I will revoke your access to the kettle, Miya.”

“Harsh,” Komori laughs, who has been very discreet about his own cup ramen dishes. He knew Sakusa’s ways well enough to secure the room and not have it smell after what he’s eaten afterwards Tobio knew, because Komori aired the room earlier after his lunch. Tobio would never rat him out, and finds it astonishing that Atsumu stays silent about it too. 

“Nonsense aside, I have definite proof of movement. The lower underbelly of southern Kyoto is readying itself up for something big. There’s news from Hyougo that a crime syndicate there has been selling properties. I wanted to go there myself, but your superior says they’re keeping an tight eye on operations.” Sakusa looks at Atsumu, having Tobio wonder about the hero office Atsumu works for. He knew so little about him, about his life before Kyoto. “They’re strictly prohibited to interfere, lest our operations are blown.” 

“But the name of this organization is unknown to anyone?” Atsumu asks, his lips tight.

“None. They’re keeping it a secret. The properties were a shared avenue of a couple organizations, some of which raise no suspicion to the law.”

“Will Kyoto be their final destination?” Tobio asks, his eyes scanning Sakusa. Another smile occurs. 

“Bright mind. No, it’s just a short stop here, of that I am sure. Word has it that whoever these fuckers are, and whoever will host them down south, it’s only for a couple of nights. Maybe even just hours. They think themselves bold coming to us, thinking themselves protected. We will give them a nice surprise.”

“I can’t believe the end of the mission might be in sight…” Komori stretches his arms high above his head, higher than humanly possible; his joints are bright coloured jelly, elongating his limbs up further and further. He’s smiling, too. “After all the shit we had to endure here.”

“Well, it’s not over yet. As soon as movement is announced, we will have 24 hour days. I want these bastards in cells within the hour that they arrive. If the move is as anticipated, to go eastwards, there will be trucks and even planes involved. We can’t allow them to go where they want to be. Kyoto will become their final destination, before we hand them over to prison life.”

Sakusa mentions the numerous offenses, including the murder of Suzuki and the police men. Tobio’s mind, as much as he shouldn’t let it, drifts off. While his body readies itself into the anticipatory state, his mind becomes foggy. Closing his eyes, he focuses on his center, feeling his wings shiver below his back. He feels the distant movement of given away feathers, and the close proximity of the most recent one next to him. 

“About that last murder. Do we know who that quirk-user was?”

“Yes, I do. I have his file here. Today’s plan was to actually seek him out. Someone like him leaves traces, and while I’d been busy finding them—” Sakusa’s voice fades away as Tobio focus comes back to the conversation. He doesn’t have to say it; Sakusa may go wherever this lunatic is, but he wouldn’t be able to engage him. Even if the quirk wouldn’t be used against Sakusa’s physical body, if anything around him would rot, he’s freeze. 

“I think I have heard some rumours in my last couple of detective work. Before this syndicate makes it big move, I could absolutely see if I can find him for you. Riling him up will be fun,” Atsumu says, keeping his voice low. Tobio hasn’t heard Atsumu use his quirk in a long while, partly glad that the bone-deep, hair-upright causing rile wasn’t used against him or even worse, in the bedroom. 

He watches Atsumu for subtle changes. There could have been a chance that he didn’t know what kind of tattoo he had on his skin, that it was equal to a gang tattoo. There might be reasons and complications. Things beyond Tobio’s understanding.

_"I wish I could remove the other one, though."_

Knowing that overthinking won’t get him anywhere, Tobio joins the discussion of how and where they could set up. His gut tells him in no small voice that this wouldn’t be the end of their hero missions, however. There’s a lot more hiding behind the ever greying skies, muddling his vision.

 

*

 

“Has a doctor been sent to them?”

“Yes, the best we have here,” Motoya replies, rushing down alongside Kiyoomi. Sometimes he wonders if fate brought them together; just for Motoya’s jelly quirk to soften every of Kiyoomi’s empowered blows. A safety net between him and the world. Motoya keeps pace with Kiyoomi, who’s reckless steps would impact and damage the stairs, wouldn’t Motoya slide parts of his jellified body below every time. 

“And no one has seen him?”

“No. The guards… The guards were found fighting amongst themselves. It took us a while to get past them.” 

Motoya had gone down to the cells on an errand to see if any of the would-be breakouts wished to talk and confess their sins. He had Kiyoomi’s offer of time off, a nicer prison environment. But none of them opened up after being recaptured. Except one who said that the measly leftovers of heroes wouldn’t give any of them joy. Relaying those messages back and forth, Motoya had found himself trapped between cells, offices, and a cell phone. 

Miya had brought him coffee prior to the mess that went down in the cells now. Motoya remembers feeling sleepy beforehand, mentioning out loud how he craved the aromatic beverages. And there had been Miya, his saving angel.

But he had to run off on his own errand, unable to keep Motoya company. If only he had been there— _No, his quirk would have been useless to keep the men from fighting, or the detainees from getting ill._

“Where is Kageyama?” Kiyoomi asks, rushing through the last hallway leading to the cells.

“Surveillance. We’re all so busy,” Motoya keeps the complaint out of his voice. Kiyoomi likes to work alone. Having Motoya around had caused a scandal in their office when people found out Kiyoomo could actually handle a hero partner. Working in groups was his nightmare. Whenever Kiyoomi had to work together with people, he wanted to state the terms, be part of the selectrion process. And keep the numbers low.

_”The less people around, the less people can screw up.”_

But Motoya severely wishes there would have been more heroes. As they enter the cells, the stink of rotten flesh greets him. Kiyoomi recoils at first sign of uncleanliness. He stands outside, pointing Motoya inwards. 

“Status report of every cell, please.”

 

*

 

Kinoshita Hisashi had shown him just one magic trick, the sleight of hand. One boring Sunday afternoon when crime took the day off, Tobio and his friends had found themselves in the presence of their senpai, who gathered them around. His one and only magic trick was misdirection, allowing the five of them, including Tobio, to follow Kinoshita’s movements, and be bamboozled. 

Smalls things disappeared, bigger things reappeared. Even Tsukishima, who knew of the tricks and that it was something explainable, couldn’t tell them how Kinoshita did it. Not until their senpai taught them how.

It’s why Tobio finds himself in hot pursuit of Atsumu. When he noticed Atsumu’s distractions to Sakusa, and how a couple of USBs disappeared from the table and off into Atsumu’s hand, Tobio took notice. The USB files contained the case so far, as well as a thorough investigations of over a hundred heroes in the surrounding prefectures. Anyone who could be a suspect, their mole, was on one of the USBs.

Flying over the bus Atsumu took, Tobio makes sure he’s concealed whenever the bus makes a turn. The people of Kyoto have by now become accustomed to his presence, and its only the tourists who look up in awe. Whenever they do, Tobio makes sure to swerve in the air, just in case Atsumu sees them watching something interesting, something to look out for. 

The bus stops at the train station, and Tobio perches himself high and out of sight. Visor down, he follows Atsumu’s heat signature. In he goes, and through the ticket gates. Tobio crosses the station’s roof to where it opens up again, hopping and gliding. He feels his feather move below, going a rather straight line. There is no sun to cast his shadow.

Komori calls. Tapping below his ear where the communications chip hides, Tobio allows the call to go through his half helmet. The information isn’t pleasant. 

_”Cells are being de-contaminated as we speak. It’s just the people who attacked Sakusa that day. Just them. Anyone else is fine, if just a little sick from the stench. They’re not… dead, but they won’t live long either if we don’t help them. I say we, but you can understand that it’s just me. Sakusa is back at the office, keeping close contact to Hyougo movements. Where are you again?”_

Tobio crosses more connecting roofs, following Atsumu as he passes platform after platform, until he finally stands still at one of the arriving trains. 

Tobio’s jaw locks. His eyes burn. There are four figures standing in front of the train, surrounded by a legion of black suits. Fellows with sunglasses all. And through his visor, Tobio zooms in on all of them, seeing the same Raiju tattoo peak over a collar, displayed on someone’s neck. Watching Atsumu bow to the four, Tobio’s legs barely get him moving, to see the front of these individuals.

Yamamura is among them, standing slightly aside the other three figures. Tobio’s helmet snaps pictures, and the debate in his head is a short one.

He sends them straight to Kozume ‘Scanner’ Kenma. In a soft voice, he records a questions to be sent along. “Who are these four people?”

Tobio knows the answer in his heart. He denies it. Wishing Kozume won’t reply, or that his reply would be any different than the unfolding, harsh truth. But the answer comes just as Tobio’s instinct foretold. Ikuta-kai leaders, the very top. Numbered from 1-4, the most dangerous men in organized crime here in Kansai.

And Atsumu shakes their hand, handing over the USB sticks, bowing his head low once more. 

The black-clad squad switches trains, and Tobio watches as other commuters are ushered out of the train unit. Atsumu stays behind, hands in his pocket, until the train leaves.

Before Atsumu turns, Tobio is in the sky, his emotions at turbulence. 

 

*

 

He makes the landing mostly on his hands and knees. Tobio's head swivels around, and he finds a shade in which to hide him. Since he was younger, he could make a decent estimation of how he was doing, what his body's baseline balance was. Stomach in knots and turning as if it was a washing machine, Tobio tumbles. The gruesome flight, burdened with the horrible knowledge, had to be cut short and he finds himself near one of Kyoto's many shrines. Restricted access comes to mind, but Tobio sees to it that he is well hidden.

The silence of the earth helps him to think. Up in the air, wind would cut through his thoughts, slicing it up in even more pieces he couldn't make sense of. At last he can attempt to disentangle his screaming thoughts. Tobio lowers his head into his hands, noticing at last how fast his breaths are coming out, how light and wrong they sound. He brings his attention onto his chest, trying to ease into a more stable breathing rhythm, just like Sugawara taught him. 

Not even hostage situations would have bring him low like this. So impossibly alone and out of tune with who he was. 

There most be a logical reason for everything. Why Atsumu was cating so familiar and at ease with the gang leaders, why he was there at all. Why he hadn’t warned any of them, least of all Tobio. Some terrible secret, or maybe a lure. Surely Atsumu would come back into headquarters, saying he will deliver the Ikuta-kai leaders on a silver platter. That it was just a fun surprise. He’s a teaser and a trickster.

A liar, a mole, and a villain.

Bringing his hands together over his nose and mouth, Tobio lifts his head, finding it harder and harder to breathe and be calm about this. He had given Atsumu the feather, to make sure he was safe. To make sure he could track him, whatever happened. There might have been anomalies, nothing too peculiar for him to think... but his gut-feeling had not been wrong. The case was being stirred into a direction that gave no answers. It had been made impossible to go forward, to find out anything. 

Leaning back against the wooden shrine, Tobio's fingers reach for the chip hiding below his ear. Making sure his breathing will sound somewhat normal, he contacts Tsukishima. It was another breach of confidence, and Sakusa might not forgive him. None of it matters, as Tobio needs to be absolutely sure.

"Hey, can you run a backlog check? It's about Suzuki's confession to me and Miya Atsumu. I need you to check the sound waves, preferably Miya's."

 _"Trouble in paradise?"_ Tsukishima’s voice didn’t hold an inch of laughter. He didn’t even question anything else about what Tobio just asked him to do. 

"...Trouble everywhere. I need to know exactly what Suzuki said. I think that one of the confessions has been tempered with." The words make his throat burn, and before Tobio can stop himself, his legs give. He finds himself on the ground. Hidden, lost, and forgotten. 

_"That's a heavy accusation. And as far as I can see, you signed a confidentiality contract with Sakusa's hero agency. Strictly, I am not allowed to interfere."_ But Tsukishima Kei’s fingers tip and tap away on his self-designed keyboard, muttering below his breath as he gains access to the non-accessible. _”This Suzuki character wasn’t a friend of yours? I didn’t know someone died on the job… My condolences.”_

Tobio swallows the lump in his throat, his eyes to the sky. He's already involved Kozume Kenma, a close friend of Hinata. The memory of Suzuki, the single stab in his back and that curiosity of non-struggle against it, taste bitter on his tongue. It’s why Tobio opens his mouth and keeps on speaking, going in deep on the case. The new accusation pales the previous one It takes Tsukishima a moment to take in that Miya Atsumu was working for the other side.

 _"You said they used Sakusa's equipment, even though the other twin, Osamu, had wanted to install his? And the confessions weren’t questioned before…"_ Tsukishima says, tapping away at the same time. Tobio hears a door opening, Tsukishima’s denial, and a door closing. It’s good to know that Tsukishima won’t allow Yamaguchi in on this, and that he perchance even refused whatever sort of food Yamaguchi just offered him.

"Correct. You have six hours to send me a report and back my claim. I don't know what other work you have to do—" Tobio manages to say, his voice tight. All of this is so, so wrong. And he has no idea what on earth could make it right. People might still die, and he’s too afraid to face the idea that Atsumu… his Atsumu—

_"Please don't worry about that, it gives me the creeps if you're nice to me. Six hours is more than enough. Oh, do you want me to track Atsumu's whereabouts while I'm at it?"_

"No, there's not need for that." The doubt and the shock make way for an undiluted, unrestrained fury. It brings Tobio back on his feet, and his wings caress the wood behind him. They keep him upright, courageous. 

He can feel Atsumu moving, no matter the distance. Sometimes Tobio wondered why he was given such an amazing quirk as his father's wings, the added value of his mother's healing abilities, and the strange sensation of knowing exactly where his feathers were at any point if he lost them. Conviction that he was born to be a hero solidifies in his being, and he spreads his wings anew, his senses fresh and unstained.

"How far were you on that other project?" 

_"Oh, the one I started on in my free time for your sake, the one you thought less necessary after personal and intimate involvement with one of the Miya’s, that very one? I finished it. A little counter-measure. Yamaguchi found a nifty code to digitally print it but, you need a 3D printer."_

"I have access to that. Mail it to me, Tsukishima. Please," Tobio adds as he scans the sky, registering Tsukishima's 'got it' in the background. The earth slowly lets go of his feet. "Over and out."

 

*

 

Atsumu lies on a grassy field not far from the hotel. He could have gone to Kyoto Station’s rooftop garden, or Umekoji. But he wanted to be closer to his current home. 

One arm behind his head like a pillow, his free hand plays with the feather Tobio gave him a few days ago. Closing his eyes, Atsumu imagines a better world, a fairer world. Where he could be whoever he wanted to be, without deception. Without being a villain. He and Osamu could flee to Miyagi. They wouldn't make the same mistakes Suzuki or any other of those dumb idiots did, what cost them either their lives or their dignity or their freedom. 

He hadn’t cared about Suzuki’s death, nor at the incoming doom of those detainees. Not until Asato praised him and Osamu for their deception and good work. How Chiba had patted his shoulder, saying they just had to go a little further. And he hadn’t meant Tokyo. Exhaling, Atsumu tries to imagine once more how they would wing it. Surely if he comes clean with Kita and Tobio, _something_ could be done. The reach of the villains from Hyougo didn't stretch further than Kansai. For now. 

Fleeing, hiding, living in fear. Being not just branded but hunted forever. Atsumu lets Tobio's feather brush over his mouth, inhaling the scent clinging to the detached feather. He never trusted anyone on the 'good' side. Never had reason to. If Osamu and him were good at deceiving, so could be others. The Ikuta-kai could have placed spies in the networks, people Osamu couldn't find in the database. People who might act nice and would help them, only to betray, to sell them out. And the twins would discover anew that everyone's a scumbag. 

And how exactly would they face the rest of the Foxes. Kita, Aran, Suna. Support heroes Oomimi and Akagi. Gin, who they had trapped once too, without his knowledge. 

Opening his mouth, Atsumu inhales and exhales deeper, trying to calm down the anxiety in his gut. It was maddening, how much he likes Tobio, how much he wanted to open up to him and tell him everything. To earn his forgiveness, that maybe he still had a chance in life. If only one good person would believe him…

To have Osamu’s safety as well. That his twin might finally find love, too. Unlike Atsumu, who had short-lived flings before he set his sight on Tobio, Osamu trusted absolutely no one, not even with his body, not even for a night. Atsumu felt selfish for what he was doing with Tobio, to enjoy life as boyfriends, or colleagues having sex and liking each other, or whatever Tobio would call it anyway. 

Raising the feather to his eyes, Atsumu stares and stares. Until the clouds cover the blue sky, becoming darker and darker. Until the grass beneath him doesn't feel as welcoming anymore, and the air around him becomes colder. He stays to punish himself, then gets up and stroll back to the hotel. He checks his phone. 

Komori’s news is as expected. They had rushed the detainees to a hospital, decontaminated the cells all together. A grand distraction for Sakusa and Komori. And Tobio had to be on surveillance. Atsumu had excused himself to be on another job. Komori didn’t even suspect a thing. 

Before he lay on the grass, Atsumu had asked when Tobio would return to the hotel. If he’d return at all tonight or before they could have a shift change. The text was left unanswered. 

Atsumu doesn't dare to call his brother instead. He also refrains from telepathy to tell him that he should get ready, because a storm was brewing.

 

*

 

The sun sends an orange hue over the city. Buildings burn bright in its soft flame, and windows glare all white back. Visor on, Tobio doesn’t have to be afraid to be blinded. He glides between buildings, following the most direct flight route visualized on the inside of his visor.

The decision was easily made. Going after that train wouldn’t help anyone. Tobio needed back up, and while Sakusa and Komori were too busy, to involved, he had to make absolutely sure of another matter. ‘Double Trouble’, the Miya twins’ hero name, from the Inarizaki hero office. As there were the Crows in the far north-eastern side of Japan, so there were foxes in the west. Atsumu never talked about his hero office, only occasionally dropping names of his associates. There were a great many things he’s kept secret from Tobio. His head full of conspiracies, Tobio doesn't kindly make an appointment like he usually would. Air slicing in his downward glide, he charges through the glass, breaking the ‘ni’ part in its name. 

Arms crossing over his head like an X, he aims for the glass on the 12th floor, and takes all the window shards with his wings to the inside of the building, making sure to not to injure passer-byes down below. Wings extending to the side, he brushes off the shards, checking his surroundings. To his eternal pleasure, Kita Shinsuke stands in front of him. Tobio's presence and entrance stopped him from signing papers. 

Seeing the mass of computers, laptops, and data transfer, Tobio touches the space below his ear. 

"Black out." Tobio watches Kita glance around after the two words were uttered into the stunned silence. Then all screens and noise creases all together, as Tsukishima disables every device enabled to access the internet or to send out messages. 

"Hey, you," Kita calls, and Tobio makes the mistake of looking him in the eye when he says "Stop." 

Tobio freezes on the spot, strangely reminded of that one hero from the academy. A picture in the hallway, a honour student who rose to the top. Strange purple hair and tired-looking eyes. Voice quirks were truly popular nowadays. Just then, Tsukishima remotely moves his visor down his face and darkens the screen. 

_"Don't look him in the eye. It’s not his voice you should worry about. Go._

Charging in blind, Tobio's wings urge him to trash the place, to destroy everything out of his sight until there's nothing left but lying, deceiving humans. He causes a mini whirlwind to make sure no one but Kita remains standing. Then he remembers Ukai's words, that without proof, he can't make a proper decision. 

"We need to talk, alone." Tobio doesn't recognize his own voice. He doesn't hear movement, though. Tsukishima grey-scales the visor to let him asses the situation right in front of him, where Ojiro Aran flanks Kita's side. He was quick to stand after the knock-down.

Kita agrees, sending Ojiro away to supervise the mess clean up. Showing him to his office, Kita doesn't take the seat, but offers one to Tobio. Without being fooled twice, Tobio's fingers are under his ear.

"Bugs?"

_"Either it's too good to be detected, which is unlikely, or I can't find anything."_

"And if Miya Osamu is behind it?"

_"He may be good, Kageyama, but not better than me. Anyway your whereabouts are being supervised at the moment, so you don’t have much time. Talk. I'll keep the two weasels busy."_

"Osamu?" Kita asks, his brow making a singular movement since Tobio crashed into the office. 

Turning to Kita, Tobio tries to keep his cool, keep his control. "Tell me this, Kita-san. Did you know about the twins' underground activities?" 

Kita leans back against a cabinet behind him. “I like to inform you that you make no sense at all. Crashing into my office, causing a ruckus and a mess. That shut down… who were you talking to that caused it..? No matter, things can be replaced. People, not so much.” Kita regards him at length, unhappy about being made to talk without having answers first. “Count yourself lucky no one got hurt too badly.”

“Right, hurt. Because we’re heroes meant to protect. I wonder how you’d react, Kita-san, if I tell you that Miya Atsumu and Miya Osamu might be involved in a great many un-hero-like activities. Did you know? Did you help them?” Tobio’s anger rises to his throat, making his speech faster, his voice just a little bit louder. Kita remains the same, stoic peace in the face of all the accusations. 

“The twins might have… had too much fun every now and then, but I cannot say that I see them aligning to what you’re insinuating. Let’s have the facts, or don’t bother say another word.” 

“You know why Atsumu was sent to Kyoto. You know—”

“Sakusa told me himself, bits of it. Very secretive stuff, but given that we might have a traitor, I understand the concern.”

Tobio catches on one word alone. “Curious that you say it like that, ‘we’. So you are aware that two people from your office have conspired against heroes?” Tobio walks a few steps to the side, giving his wings more room in Kita’s office room. He sees the eyes glance over the insides of his wings, unhurt by the crash earlier.

“I meant us, heroes. And you have yet to present evidence—”

Kita’s computer springs to life. His eyes distracted, his arms to the side, Kita walks forward. Tobio can’t see, but he hears it in his helmet, the visor still down for protection. Tsukishima unloads it all. The images of Atsumu and the Ikuta-kai, Yachi’s drawing of the gang tattoo, the transfer of Suzuki’s confessions, all three of them; the one he made to Tobio, and the two from Atsumu. The truth and the lie. 

After a moment, Kita sits down. There’s images of Suzuki’s dead body, the written speculation of Sakusa how Suzuki might have known his attacker or attackers. There’s evidence of power surges, the break out, and Tobio starts talking. Starts remembering how Atsumu wasn’t there at critical points. How he was stabbed, but bled more than the wound should have allowed. How Yamamura, the one who stabbed him, greeted him today like an old pal. 

Tobio unleashes all his suspicions on the man who has fostered the twins under his roof, who allowed them to be heroes and fight crime through his paycheck. Kita’s face never displays emotion, and he only puts up his hands in front of his mouth as he takes soaks up all information.

When it’s all said and done, Kita issues a warning.

“You could detain all of us in those clean new cells of yours. But hear me out; I will talk to Sakusa himself. This suspicion of yours… it might be true. There are things that didn’t make sense before, stuff that happened with the twins… If they are truly villains—” Kita doesn’t want to believe it, any less than Tobio does. “We need to trap them. I acknowledge your claim that Atsumu is Ikuta-kai, but I haven’t seen the tattoo for myself, neither on him or Osamu. And that latter… you don’t know either for sure.”

“What do you want me to do,” Tobio’s voice rises once more, but Kita holds up a hand. The authority he exudes reminds Tobio of Sawamura, and so he keeps silent.

“As long as there is evil, we who are an emblem of good, must protect the citizens against it. Keep you’re head cool, and play nice. I must hear it from Atsumu himself, but alerting him would compromise your mission. Don’t let him catch on that you know—what you suspect. Osamu hasn’t been at the office for a while, busying himself elsewhere. I will make sure he’s being watched from now on.”

At the mention of the other twin, Tobio asks about October 5th.

“Oh, yeah that. The twins usually take a day off on their birthday. They once said they go to Amagasaki. But it’s such a taboo subject that no one really breaches it. Why?”

Tobio shakes his head, folding his wings behind him. 

_”He’s clean, 100% and no doubt about it. Sawamura vouches for him, and there’s… a past with villains that hurt his little brother. You can trust him,”_ Tsukishima says. And Tobio doesn’t know how he can trust anyone anymore. But he has to keep faith in his friends.

His chosen family.

“Alright. Act like nothing is out of the ordinary. However, you were unaware that the Ikuta-kai is on the move. They will act before we can trap the twins,” Tobio says, unable to speak Atsumu’s name. 

“That is right. I sent a team to investigate, and we were met with explosions. No deaths, thank the gods,” Kita says a silent prayer. As he does, Tobio hears the systems behind him, those he didn’t crash, return to normal. Tsukishima lifted the communications ban. Behind the door, Ojiro stands in waiting for Kita’s instructions, and seeing that Tobio is not a threat anymore. 

“Return to Kyoto and play it safe. We wouldn’t want to lose you too,” Kita looks up at Tobio, who cannot imagine what ‘safe’ should feel like. “Sawamura told me about your heroic actions before. Honestly, never thought he’d boast that much. He might not have done the same about me,”

Tobio halts his words. “No, he did. He… he said if anything happened here, I should come straight to you.” He might have made a nicer entrance about it then trashing the place.

“Right, and so you did. I understand what you’re going through. I’ve known the twins since they were 15, and you must believe me; I am as angry as you,” Kita says, not showing any signs of it. Tobio nods nonetheless, knowing that not everyone shows how they feel at any given time and as bright as daylight. 

He passes Ojiro on the way out, somewhat glad it didn’t come to a fight amongst heroes. 

 

*

 

Kiyoomi’s eyes go from Kageyama to Motoya and back again. The constant chant of Motoya’s ‘we’re not the enemy’ replays in his mind. Of all the things he knew about Kageyama’s quirk, there were suddenly a dozen things he couldn’t figure out. And Kageyama has always been vague about his flights, how long they may take. If he could fly faster, or what would slow him down. 

“You were gone a long time, Crow,” Kiyoomi grunts, backing his shoulders into the chair behind him. “Care to explain?” 

“Surveillance.” 

“In Hyougo prefecture? I have told you,” Kiyoomi starts, but Tobio’s gaze silences him,

“There’s trucks coming. I have intel that yesterday’s incident here in station was made possible by the gang we’re trying to find. They might have passed Kyoto, or are currently hiding here. We don’t know, and we won’t be able to find them. But from the sold properties, stuff is being transferred. They’re currently stopping west of Kyoto, obviously on stand-by.” 

Kiyoomi notes how Kageyama says ‘yesterday’. They were just a couple of minutes past midnight.

“And you didn’t tell me this before, because..?” 

“There’s a mole, you know it as well I do. Whatever communications we consider, it will be known. Even telling you in person is dangerous.” Kageyama glances to a corner, as if Kiyoomi didn’t do triple checks of the place every day. His paranoia has gotten the better of his team.

“Fine. So they’re close… We will rat them out.” Kiyoomi turns to Motoya. “Any news from my other headache?” 

Motoya shakes his head, looking up to Kageyama who also shrugs his shoulders. The answer was the same when asked about Kageyama's whereabouts. 

“Probably surveillance.”

 

*

 

Deep night settles in and almost every other light has been turned off. Shinsuke has been staring at his brightly lit screen. Hands linked in front of his mouth, he gazes over the pictures. A selection of images Osamu had sent him from the last barbeque. It was only a couple of months ago. 

“Good times,” Shinsuke murmurs to himself, easing back into his chair as he regards Aran. Head hung low, Aran has been silent for the last few hours. A most unlikely occurrence. “It’s my fault. I should have seen it coming. Understand the patterns, like Sakusa did. Delusion and… other things must have clouded my vision of them. Of who they truly were—are, beneath it all.”

The words do not soothe Aran the least, whose deep brown eyes gaze up, nothing short of strong dislike oozing from his person.

“Sakusa, that good for nothing weasel, should have told _us_ the moment he suspected!”

“But he didn’t know it was them. He didn’t know which prefecture to search a traitor in. When their mission started in Kyoto, and he asked for Atsumu’s assistance—he wasn’t aware. The Crow figured all of this out, and he came as soon as he thought that we might be involved too.” Shinsuke had listened to the confession, the true sound waves which weren’t a confession at all. Suzuki had met someone in the four team squad he knew. And the twins hid this evidence. Might even killed him for it. 

Or were ordered to eliminate the threat.

“The Crow was kind enough to alert us. My conversation with him was very eye-opening. Do you remember how often the twins declined going to a communal bath with us? They never went to the beach either. Just today I realized we might have never seen them uncovered. Their tattoos were well hidden.”

“I don’t understand how you can remain this calm. Why we’re not going to Osamu’s—”

“To make sure the Crow will keep his head cool. If Osamu was alerted that we know… No. I will visit him in the morning,” Shinsuke says, in a tone he knows will be understood as final. Aran tries to refuse him going alone, but Shinsuke doesn’t even listen to the most plausible arguments.

“And why even Osamu first!?” Aran throws his hands up, still seated.

“Atsumu plays a dangerous game, but he thinks his cover protected. Kageyama seems well-abled to handle things on his own. And if worse comes to worst, there's always Sakusa and Komori. I told Kageyama that at the first signs of trouble, he should alert them both. No, if we want to take down the twins, we have to go after the one in solitary self-confinement. as long as they're separate they're not invincible." 

"Ill come with you," Aran says, but Shinsuke holds a hand up, then signs at their office, where all lights are still shut off. Most repairs were already made, and Shinsuke will collect its payment from Sawamura as soon as this business is dealt with.

"No, I need my strongest man here, to hold the fort. I’ll have Suna in his chopper for support, just in case. But if you come to Osamu's, he knows something is wrong and will be on his guard." And whatever Osamu does, if he does something, would have the entirety of Inarizaki on his heels. “If he plans on running, let him run. We know there’s just one place he will go, and that’s Atsumu. And if the two of them lead us to their masters… Well, we might just steal the job away under Sakusa’s nose.”

Shinsuke grins, despite the grave situation. At least Aran can leave his presence on a positive note. As soon as Shinsuke hears the elevator doors open and close, he sits up straight, resumes his previous position. Watching the screen, his mind cracks. 

Eyes that could do so much, were useless when blind sighted.

 

*

 

Keeping up appearances, Tobio slides into Atsumu’s bed that night. They curl around each other, limbs going the known and warmest places. Arms coordinate in a way to keep in mind that they won’t hurt tomorrow morning. Tobio’s forehead bumps into Atsumu’s throat, whose chin rubs his crown a little before giving a content sigh. 

As Atsumu falls asleep, Tobio isn’t able to. Even if Atsumu’s snoring sounds genuine, there’s no way for a hero to sleep when a villain’s hands are on his back. Getting up without waking him, Tobio sneaks one of the CD’s Atsumu had in his room off to be recorded by his helmet in the bathroom. Sitting outside the door and not listening to it, Tobio puts two fingers under his ear, contacting Tsukishima. Every now and then, his friend would sacrifice sleeping to watch a show, and tonight was such an event. Knowing that even the faintest whisper will be picked up by the device in his neck, Tobio warns Tsukishima to be most careful. The result comes minutes later in a text message. 

It was Osamu’s voice. Tsukishima gathers that there’s not much interesting to what he says. Just the simple fact that he speaks, his quirk recorded, to be used whenever. How many times may Tobio have fallen asleep to it and not notice? How many times has Atsumu rendered him to a state of uselessness? To Tobio’s mind, there’s only one memory, but he can’t be sure of anything. As distrust spreads, he pads over to the desk in the room, picking up pen and paper. He writes a message saying he couldn't sleep (not a lie) and that he went on a flight (probably a lie). He'd be in his own room after. Leaving the note in the place where his body heat slowly leaves the sheets, Tobio looks looks down on Atsumu

Back in his own room, sleep keeps evading him. Tobio muses that his body should at least know some rest in this horizontal state, even as his mind spins in vicious circles. When the first light spills over the windowsill, he knows that today’s the day.

Today the mission will end, and he will catch the mole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So basically... chapter 5 is like, 99% done, waiting for a final polish. Chapter 6 is a gorgeous mess that I waded through today and almost ready (honestly, I hate writing in unchronological order for exactly the reason that I create plotholes and unchronological movements of characters...) Chapter 7 has been written for a long time... and then there's chapter 8...  
> 8DDD chapter 8 is for the most part handwritten ideas scattered in a notebook I used in part writing this story. What I am trying to say is... I may be able to do weekly updates!! I can imagine there's people waiting for me to finish the entire fic before wanting to read, and I don't think I have to 'stretch' any sort of tension by delaying updates or making you all wait longer than necessary ;v;
> 
> I will work hard on having a weekly schedule, and while I intended Monday/Sunday updates, I think Friday/Saturday is my safest bet to keep it consistent! Any thoughts of my regulars will be highly regarded and kept in mind .v.b
> 
> Thank you all so much for your sweet replies on the last fic. I just. I basically cry and laugh and evil cackle reading them! The theories are sooo good and pretty close o: 
> 
> I hope you guys will like the way I'm writing this fic :oooo and please don't be TOO worried about the babies... I intend to make it worth it all 8D'''' (this I saw after writing very painful scenes ahahaha;;;;;)
> 
>  **[[[Edit]]]:** To the person who bookmarked this fic and left me a question;;;; I cannot answer bookmarks! Jenga if you read this, a friend of mine will draw Tobio's hero suit so you can have better visuals, but there won't be much more detail on undressing.


	5. Taking flight, villain style

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> > "We need to talk."
> 
> Trust and love don’t come easy or cheap. Once toppled over, they might be lost forever. As the lines of truth and lies cross and blur, Miya and Kageyama both decided to create a new line. A choice to stand on one side or the other.
> 
> Kageyama doesn't like pretending, but he does it all the same. Hurting to the core. Miya wants to talk, but finds himself in the problematic position that no one wants to listen to him. And that even when he speaks, no one hears him. Turbulent skies gather overhead. However, these skies are threatening to all involved. 
> 
> And there's traps upon traps upon traps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whomp here it is.
> 
> One of the most important chapters. And damn it was so fun to write 8D I live for a lot of the drama in it. The final parts were to be in the next chapter, but for flow and pace, I put them in here. It's huge. And omg I know I repeat myself when I say how pumped I am to present this but. TO BE FAIR. There was a ton of speculation in the comments about exactly ALL the shit that's gonna go down in here :3
> 
> For all the BNHA fans, I have a guest appearance! My favourite character ;w; I knew he'd be in here from the start.
> 
> Since chapter 4 I tried to keep things super chronological and I triple checked everybody's movements, at which times, what time of day it was, and all that. I HOPE TO GOD ITS AIRTIGHT but I'm just a simple human author. Chapter 5 and 6 basically killed me and had me writing timelines on paper to keep overview.

Only Kita would look absolutely normal, and completely capable of balancing two muffins on two paper cups. One in his hand each, Osamu isn’t even shocked to see that between the burning hot beverages that must be inside the cups, and Kita’s own delicate hands, there’s nothing else. He opens the door a bit wider, allowing his superior to walk inside. It’s early in the morning. Osamu notes how it’s exactly 45 minutes before Kita would usually go to work. A small detour to Osamu’s place (which has been ‘his’ ever since Atsumu has been gone for so long on his assignment) meant he could still make it in time even after a little chat. Osamu wonders if he’s meant to go with him, but as soon as the idea sparks to life, he knows Kita is not here for that.

Something is off. Maybe Osamu has been in here too long. With Atsumu gone, and work slow, he was able to do most things from home. No one ever let him go on patrol, given that he’d doze off somewhere or would be roped in by his brother or Suna to do anything else. And his particular mob bosses were keen on keeping him cooped up and close by. Leverage.

Osamu is sure once Kita starts small talk; trying to distract him from the fact that either the muffin or the tea in his hand is poisoned. Holding the muffin to his mouth, Osamu watches Kita slyly through his eyelashes. When Kita is watching without another word, Osamu does a thing must uncharacteristic for him.

He drops the muffin to the floor. 

“Stand down, Kita-san,” Osamu mumbles, his quirk heavy on his tongue. He watches Kita’s eyes droop, making it the last time he looks at them. Kita’s eye-quirk has a penetrating strength to make the person he watches, and who watches him back, do anything he wants. Osamu won’t let it come to that. Throwing the tea aside, Osamu slams his body against Kita, uncaring for the anything except making sure Kita doesn’t look at him. The struggle is short-lived as Osamu presses Kita's chin and his face to the side. He whispers in his ear. 

"Shhh, it will be all okay," Osamu exhales through his teeth, hating to go against Kita of all people. Atsumu and he both knew this day might come... That even if their double life never came to light, the organization would one day order them to go against their friends and allies. That if one of the twins wouldn't comply, the other would get hurt. Osamu couldn't let that happen.

"Were you ever... not... lying to... us..?" Kita seethes, one eye visible trying to make eye contact. Osamu guards his own, shuddering at the hold. 

_They had heard of him. A man whose eyes were so dangerous that even without a quirk, they would drill submission into civilians. Kita has a sharp tongue which isn’t laced with mirth as Atsumu’s, or can turn rotten as Osamu’s. There is no quirk in his voice when he speaks, but the words are to be obliged upon eye contact._

_Kita Shinsuke was not top of his hero class. He wasn’t even in a hero class until his second year of high school. Yet when he took over his grandmother’s hero office after graduation, all the third years followed him. A senpai for two years, Atsumu and Osamu did the same. Keeping the name ‘Double Trouble’, Kita had looked over their application, then told them to use their quirks on him and Ojiro Aran in a 2vs2 fight. They had gotten Ojiro to his knees in no time, but Kita was made of sterner stuff. And Atsumu had been caught off guard._

_They were in his employment ever since. ‘Heroes’. Just as they were instructed to do since they were 11. Lie to teachers, lie to the few friends they made. False pretences, hero classes, and all the while making friends with people who were honest and good. So unlike them in every aspect of the trade._

_When they were 18 and at an afterhours drinking party, Atsumu had used their link to talk. [“If it comes down to it, you know we cannot let them stand in the way of our bosses. One day, we will have to fight them.”]_

_Osamu had looked around then; at Suna making faces at Ojiro, who grumbles back, both red in the face. At Ginjima who giggled into his glass at every bad joke Akagi makes, made worse as the night and the drinks continue. At Oomimi, who looks their way and nods, seemingly not drunk at all. But gone all the same. And how Kita sat at the end of the table, arms crossed, watching over all of them in turn, a rare smile on his lips._

_He didn’t want to think about the future. He never wants to imagine the faces._

_But they always have to keep in mind the realities of this life._

“Not everything was a lie, not for us. I am sorry it had to come to this... If possible, aid Kageyama Tobio. He might get himself into more trouble than Atsumu is worth," Osamu looks away more, for his own protection. If Kita got into his head, it would be all over. Instead, he chants his forgiveness down to his superior. He means every word of it, despite his quirk running down in a smooth tone alongside of the apologies. Kita doesn't reply, and Osamu feels his jaw grow slack. Peeking up with one eye open, Osamu watches him fall asleep, every bone in his body relaxing. Letting Kita go, Osamu sits back on his ass. It takes him a moment to reconcile the picture of his captain and leader lying unconscious in front of him. He wonders if he should have told Kita how to help Kageyama himself, or leave a message now. But Osamu knows… the one who should tell Kageyama isn’t either of them. With self-preservation being more important, Osamu's feet move him throughout the room. He gathers his pre-packed things towards the door, then returns, finding his headphones. The cord from the pc to Kita is long enough. Osamu puts the headphones over Kita's sleeping form, securing that his ears are all covered. Then he moves to the pc, finds the audio file Atsumu had him create to keep Tobio under if need be, and presses play. 

Sighing, knowing Kita's modes of actions, Osamu writes an email to Ginjima and Ojiro himself, to find him here tonight. It will auto-send when Osamu needs it to, and not a minute earlier. In the sleeping state, Kita can go without water and food for some time, but too long would be dangerous for his body. And Osamu hasn’t been ordered to kill him. Yet.

Uncaring for the mess he leaves behind, Osamu closes the door, hiding the key under his doormat. He doesn’t turn back once, knowing he won’t ever return here again.

 

*

 

There have been many rude awakenings Atsumu received at the hands of Osamu. Even as children, when their life was nothing pretty to put into a picture book, Osamu would occasional wake Atsumu through the Switch. He’d plant images in Atsumu’s mind, or whatever else he could come up with. Even if they fought, Atsumu never really hated him for it.

["What exactly are you think we're gonna do?"] Atsumu replies after hearing Osamu’s account of what happened to him this morning. Time’s not just running; it’s springing away from him, hiding, mocking him. After all the years, they had thought themselves nestled in Inarizaki hero office, cosy and somewhat protected. Their identities a mystery, their friendships with the other heroes not always a farce.

There was no turning back to it now.

{"No idea, 'Tsumu. But I'd rather not be separated at this point. If Kita-san knows, who else would from our hero agency?}

["Aran, for sure. And if Aran knows and Kita doesn't contact him after visiting you..."]

{"Right. Surely Sakusa would have strangled you by now if anyone on your side knew. But I think its best you'd try and make your peace with Kageyama before this blows. In whatever way you think you have to."} Osamu is agitated, and Atsumu cannot chide him for it. For all it’s worth, he’s happy this exact scenario had happened to him and Tobio.

Atsumu stares at Tobio's room number, waiting right outside. Unable to enter. They had fallen asleep together, but after Osamu woke him up, Tobio was nowhere to be found in Atsumu’s hotel room. No messages left, either. Komori has let him check up on some sources, but of course Atsumu didn’t find ‘any trucks in the vicinity’. He knew where they were, knew they were well hidden. 

Morning has turned into afternoon, and Osamu has come out of hiding as well. ["And if I tell him everything, before it does?"]

{"...Maybe he'll forgive you or be somewhat kinder. Dunno. We always knew whatever we wanted in life was wishful thinking. Anyway, I have taken the bus. I might change routes along the way, to make sure no one will come looking for me on the most direct one. They will watch the trains. Once I am in Kyoto, I will come straight to your room, alright? Might take till evening. Whatever else Sakusa wants you to do today, don’t go to that dumb police station. See you."}

["Bye, 'Samu."] Atsumu blows out his cheeks, then goes back a few steps to put his own keycard under the welcome mat in front of his room, performing the Switch for a second to let Osamu know where it is. When he turns to his own body and towards Tobio's room. He's not sure what he should be doing, only what he wants. 

 

*

 

The knocks come like punches. Tobio sits up straight, waiting for the pain to ease when he hears Atsumu’s voice. Tired from being up most of the night and flying half the day, Tobio somewhat manages to make the short walk to the door. Atsumu had greeted him with a kiss this morning, and Tobio thought he’d break. This time, he meets Atsumu halfway, kissing him back. Atsumu enters his room saying he didn't find out anything new. Of course he wouldn't find anything... Sakusa has asked them both the same thing, to try and find these trucks Tobio mentioned. But they were nowhere to be seen in or just outside Kyoto. 

“Wherever they are… they’re well-hidden. No one has seen anything,” Atsumu says, shedding his jacket. Tobio knows for sure Atsumu didn’t even look. He must know where they are, or whereabouts. 

“Sakusa has made dinner plans. Even invited us, can you believe it?” Atsumu continuous, drinking a glass water. Tobio nods, understanding that during this critical situations, Sakusa wants to keep them together and in motion, to be awake for the next 48 hours. As Tobio turns, his mind swirls with the thoughts of who he let into his room. Dizzy he turns away, lest Atsumu might come wise that something is wrong. Tobio makes sure not to cringe away when Atsumu reaches around him from behind. Embracing him with all the warmth he shouldn’t have. Liar’s lips kissing places Tobio shouldn’t feel the heat anymore. 

“We have a lot of time to kill, and after all that hard work… surely we can allow ourselves to relax, mhnn? Whaddya think?" Atsumu’s voice is smooth and well-rounded, and Tobio hates every single syllable coming from those lips.

Tobio pushes his lower back against Atsumu's hips, easing his mind, his voice, his heart. "Sure… Go to bed, I'll be there in a second."

He feels Atsumu's laugh on the just-kissed neck, rendering Tobio's knees useless to do anything but bow. He wants to take deep breaths and steady himself, but anything out of the ordinary wasn't advisable, said Kita. Acting cool, acting friendly—it was easier said than done. Putting himself to the task of undressing, Tobio's mind is momentarily distracted by the view of his room, by the undoing of his zipper, by the illusion that this is just another, normal afternoon. 

As if nothing is wrong. As if his entire relationship isn't based on lies and bullshit.

When he sees Atsumu lying vertical, bare and grinning, so full of himself and thinking himself so indestructible, Tobio nearly sees red. His body moves on his own, and he forces every step, forcing to smile when Atsumu takes his hand and leads him onto the bed, forces his legs to widen and sit on top of Atsumu. Tobio feels his body more like a mechanic robot going through the same motions it has done all this time. But whatever hard metal and objects he can think of surround his heart, not allowing the senseless thing to be seduced into Atsumu's game. 'Act normal, act normal, act normal,' goes through Tobio's head like a mantra, and it pushes his head down, closes his eyes, opens his mouth, letting Atsumu's lips lock with his.

But it tastes like ashes, and Tobio almost recoils from the touch. He looks down on Atsumu’s chest, sees the pink azalea tattoo. He covers it with his hand, closes his eyes, and the other ink appears in his mind. Kissing back harder, Tobio uses more lips then tongue, more teeth than usual. Needing to drown out the images, the want from his loins. Then he whispers into Atsumu's ear. He wants this to be over. It was a bad idea from the start. How could he possibly be intimate with a villain? Tobio had been unable to sleep next to him last night, unable to stay there until morning. Fled the place in a hurry, flown out into the sky. Burying himself in any clouds he could find. Yet he was back here, in Atsumu’s arms. Having his fingers tease him open, while Atsumu’s lips are busy kissing him into a more relaxed state. 

"We don't have much time..." 

He wants it to end it already.

“You’re so on edge… let me help with that.” Atsumu whispers, his voice so sweet that Tobio squints his eyes shut. He manages to smile, to let his head fall back, sighing out Atsumu’s name. The sigh soon becomes a moan, a hiss, until Tobio’s body does what it would have done on any other day. Moving and melting, becoming alight under Atsumu’s various touches and whispers.

Riding him is actual agony. Tobio can't even look at Atsumu; every smile he sees, every chuckle he hears, feels like Tobio is being spit in the face. Every laugh aimed at how stupid Tobio was to believe him, to be manipulated, to fall in love with Atsumu. To give him his heart. And all this time, Atsumu must have enjoyed waiting, to watch it break. To run right through all of Tobio’s stupid emotions. Atsumu rocks himself up and into Tobio, taking whatever he feels is his to have. Teasing him at every turn, hands on Tobio's hips, guiding him further into madness.

Tobio closes his eyes, breathing deeply, letting the usual sounds come as they may. His heart can't break if he locks it up again, if he secures a better cage. Whatever metal he could find to hold it this time, Tobio infuses it with resent, with dislike, with distrust. He moves his hips back and forth at the same time, letting Atsumu's growing moans enforce the new defenses. But when Atsumu says his name, Tobio feels the crack—

splitting everything in half, into a hundred pieces

—wrecking his body; the mind inside, the gut-feeling that got hoodwinked, the stupid heart. Tobio slams himself down harder, down on Atsumu's cock.

Who becomes Miya again. Miya the liar, Miya the villain, Miya the person who Tobio thought he could spend so much more time with. Tobio rides him faster, out of spite. He launches himself forward, his hungry hands grabbing Miya's shoulder, intend to leave bruising marks. A low growl rumbles from his chest when Tobio speaks, pressing his thumbs harder into the shoulder. 

"To remember me by..." 

"What's gotten into you... not—not that I dislike it. It's kinda sexy," Miya laughs his way to Tobio's throat, kissing it ever so gently. 

Might as well rip it out with his teeth.

Tobio turns his head away from the touch, as it continues down his chest. Acting normal is impossible. His wings respond the same way, trembling within the folds. He can't do it like this. Sliding off Miya’s lap, he changes position. Grabbing a nearby pillow to hide his face. Keeping his legs wide, he doesn’t trust his voice to speak the words.

He can't even look at Miya when they have sex, nor keep up appearances or acting 'normal'. Miya pants, confused, but positions himself behind Tobio either way. His fingers are so warm and gentle when they move over Tobio's back, caressing the sides. He’s smart enough to not stray towards the shoulder blades, knowing what terrors might await a false move.

"Babe, are you okay..? I don't mind being rough, y'know—"

"Then stop talking and just do it," Tobio has half a mind to shove Miya off when he bends over his arching form, to let his wings break free and hurt him. Miya's hands slide with all the care in the world past the shoulders, holding Tobio’s arms. He leaves kisses all along his spine and neck. As if the noisy sound of the kisses could activate the quirk, Tobio feels his spine getting riled. Moving against it has him move towards Miya, who then unleashes his quirk for real.

"Shhh, it's alright, if you want it that much..." When Miya speaks this time, Tobio's spine shudder once more against his will. He does't even hear that breathy chuckle against his skin, only feels it, as Miya watches Tobio's body quiver against his will. "A little more tempestuous today. I can provide." 

Miya's hands curl around Tobo's hips to reel him in, and he slides himself inside once more, keeping Tobio's body still and ready to receive him. Tobio's ribcage feels like massive hands trying to crush his soul inside. His hands curl to fists under the pillow, and he hides his face in its fluffiness, trying to zone out everything else. His body heats up, and drops of sweat form on his forehead. His vision blurs. 'Act normal' rumbles through his mind again, and he puts some effort into it, making his body greet Miya meeting him halfway. To act like he wants it just as much.

"Ah, fuck, Tobio... You feel so good... I always loved it when you're... more turbulent and wild. Really gets me going..." Atsumu groans louder, adding to the pace. Tobio’s finger dig into the pillow, stowing this moment away for a not so distant future where he will pay Atsumu back in kind.  
He’d known this morning, and he knew it by evening still. This was a goodbye to Miya Atsumu.

 

*

 

Sometimes when he blinks, the black shows an image in his head he doesn't want to see. Tobio's beautiful wings, ripped apart. Tubes and medication. His eyes unseeing, his body limp. Laughter and the clinking of glasses on a job well done. Blood on Atsumu's hands, which isn't his own. Feathers littering the floor, specked with blood, molten under his feet as if Atsumu stomped them out personally. Laughter rings around him, praise. Three very different sets of hands clapping his back, congratulating him on a job well done.

As soon as he opens his eyes, Tobio still lies there next to him, safe and sound. Everything in Atsumu wants it to keep it that way. The thought of him in that… ‘cage’… he cannot stand it a second longer. Osamu is on his way, for now out of the dangerous grasps of the organization. They could make a run for it. 

Sitting up on his side and putting his hand under his head, Atsumu's other hand reaches out to push a stray hair out of Tobio's eye. The movement has Tobio's dark blue eyes slide to the side, watching Atsumu. His cheeks are still flushed from the exercise, but his breathing is easy. Gathering all the courage he has lacked in the last years, Atsumu opens his mouth.

"We should talk." Managing a smile, Atsumu patiently waits as Tobio sits up and walks around the bed to his clothes. He puts them on, as if they never talked naked in bed before. There must be something in his ear too, as he scratches it. Distracted by the new and numerous kiss marks on Tobio's back, Atsumu allows his heart a moment of peace. Just when Tobio puts on his shirt with the gaps for his wings, does Atsumu sit up a little more fully. Tobio doesn't turn to him for some time. Atsumu cannot imagine it's modesty or shame, but he gets dressed just the same. Confessing like this becomes harder with the moment. Licking his lips, and trying to sound as softly as he can manage (as he doesn't need interference of his quirk for once), Atsumu asks; "Will you look at me, Tobio-kun?"

As it is, Atsumu's quirk wasn't needed. Tobio turns, meeting his eyes. They tell him what no words could; he was too late. Whatever he had wanted to tell Tobio dies in his throat. Whatever he could have said—"You already know." 

The ice in Tobio's eyes harden. Clear confirmation. Atsumu breathes out once, adding a smooth smile to his face to feign confidence. Then he starts sidestepping around the bed, towards the door. Tobio didn't cut any of the possible escape routes. Thinking himself too fast or too strong. Atsumu's core rumbles with motion, while his heart tries to tell him it's a lost cause. Tobio's body turns to follow his movement, and his wings unfold. They're beyond beautiful, but Atsumu has no time being taken in by them; they're instruments of distruction and terrible pain if Tobio wishes them to be. And his face shows that he wants to. 

"Tobio," Atsumu mumbles, feeling his face fall. The wings beat wide once, blasting a sharp wind into Atsumu's direction. Nothing to get him to his knees.

"What would you have me know, Atsumu? What do you think I know?" As if he unsheathes a knife, a new cold edge enters Tobio's tone. Atsumu has never heard it used against the common miscreants before. Tobio wasn't much for talking when he threatened others. The words stab him where it hurts; there's no suffix. No politeness. No niceties. Atsumu forces his head to turn and face the music, a sad smile on his lips. Starting with an apology wouldn't get him anywhere. He knows they don't have much time. Everything has fallen into a motion he cannot stop.

"The tattoo. That’s how you found out. Didn’t know a little goody two-shoes like you would recognize gang ink. Especially since it didn't get any notice until some time ago...“ Atsumu purrs, hating himself. Tobio’s eyes squint.

"You acted to strangely about them when I asked… so I investigated. It’s what you made me do!“ Tobio grunts, the sentiment of betrayal heavy between them. Atsumu sighs. 

"You're in danger, Tobio. They're coming for you."

Despite everything, Tobio grins. "And whose fault is that?"

"Not mine, I swear." Atsumu lays on his quirk thick when he talks, watching as Tobio comes to a sudden stand still, battling a creepy feeling running not just over his spine, but over his entire body. He's frozen for a moment. Watching the wings, Atsumu knows he made a grave mistake even allowing him this far. Unsure if he should drop his riling speech or render Tobio more immobile, Atsumu just tries to talk, to get through Tobio with his own words. "I should have told you sooner but... there never seems a right time for this. I tried keeping them off your trail. To keep the abilities of your wings secret as long as I co—" The air escapes into nothing when Tobio moves and slams him against the wall. Tobio's breath is hot against his cheek. "You think I want to hear anymore of your lies, _villain_?"

"I'm not exactly a villain you know. I just work for one. We were supposed to just... gather information and make sure to keep the heroes off their tails. Mislead."

"Liar," Tobio grunts, his elbow piercing Atsumu's shoulder at the wrong angle.

"You guys got the right man finding Suzuki... I'm sorry about him but Osamu and I had no choice. We had to carry out orders or face consequences we couldn't bear. Tobio, listen. You have to leave. They're not just moving—they're coming for you. This syndicate will stop at nothing to get hold of your wings and your abilities. You have to get out of here, as soon as possible. Fly as high and far as you can," Atsumu was almost foolish enough to say 'with me'. As if they'd get anywhere. Running away together seems such a romantic notion though. Tobio's eyes grow in size, lacking sympathy.

"Not a minute ago you confessed how it was your point," Tobio punctuates it with a wing beating the wall. "—to mislead us. To make sure the villains have free reign. You just want me out of the way!"

"Tobio, please. I am not your enemy.“ Desperate and seeing his world fall apart, Atsumu laughs. Whatever reason he throws at Tobio is blown away as another wing tries to slam against the side of his head. Atsumu ducks, trying to undo Tobio’s footing. He can’t escape the span, the reach of those hell-ish wings. If anything happens to Atsumu, something worse may come to Osamu. 

Atsumu closes his eyes. His brother. ["Osamu."] 

{"Here."} Osamu reacts immediately, but Atsumu cannot finish his thought as Tobio's elbow presses on his windpipe, and Atsumu watches the wings widen, ready to render him unconscious. It's hard to put focus on the link with his brother as his former lover cannot decide how to end their relationship. 

["I can't do this. I can't hurt him."]

The switch is performed immediately. Atsumu finds himself in the bus Kyoto-bound, nearing the station. Evening is falling ever so slowly, but light remains so stubbornly. For the first time, he finds himself indefinitely out of place. A feeling he's long forgotten since the first time Osamu and he switched bodies. Panic flows through this body as Atsumu resides in it, and he knows it’s just his own. Not Osamu's. 

When the bus rounds the corner towards the bus station, he moves the body forward and out in trance. Everyone steps out, and Atsumu follows, blind. As he is mid-step, carrying Osamu’s belongings with him, when he finds himself back in the hotel room, Osamu's voice lingering in his head. {"He wants to talk to you."}

 

*

 

Atsumu’s face looks different. There is a slack in the brows, a calmer demeanour. The grip on Tobio’s arms tighten, harshly so. When Atsumu’s lips open and his voice pour out, the most random sentence leaves his mouth. At the edge of his senses, Tobio notices that it’s not a rile going up his spine, but an intentional calm mood that soothes over it. 

Miya Osamu tries to calm him down, to make him sleep. Tobio laughs. 

“Nice try,” he says, glad he put in the small ear-pods— Tsukishima design —just a moment ago. “But sadly, that won’t work. All your evil intentions won’t sway me of my righteous path, Miya Osamu.”

There’s spark in Atsumu’s eyes, portraying Osamu’s emotions. Another thing Atsumu has kept a secret. Tobio couldn’t fathom what kind of ability this was, how the twins were linked in such a way that while he looks at Atsumu, hears Atsumu… it’s the other one in there. This twin stops his attempt when he finds it not worthwhile to keep trying. 

“Alright. That’s a cool gimmick. I knew I didn’t have performance issues. May I invite you to calm down on your own and listen to a word he has to say?”

“No, I don’t. If I break his ribs, will you feel it when you…”

“Switch back into my own body? Just a hint. I thought you loved Atsumu, why would you—”

Tobio rams the body in his hands against the wall, knocking the air out of it’s inhabitants lungs. If the Miya twins want to play games, Tobio knows a couple of painful ones. “There is no such thing as… as that _word_ between us, understand? I will tell him myself if he has balls enough to come back and face me. There’s something important I have to tell him.”

The eyes stare and stare, and there’s nothing Tobio can make out in the face except the arms growing slack for a moment. He knows it’s Atsumu he faces, fully and truly, when that self-absorbed grin appears once more.

"Yes, babe?" Atsumu smiles, looking sad as he sees Tobio's anger. Tobio reels back, then impacts his wing against Atsumu in the chest.

“How does it feel to have a broken heart, Miya-san?” Tobio steps back for another hit, and his wing slashes through the air. The mark remains intact and crumpled on the floor, as a deafening pain runs between Tobio’s ears. He falls to his knees, clutching his ears. The ear-pods broke. When Tobio’s fingers come away with blood, he looks up. The tinnitus annoys him, but nothing gets him up on his legs faster than seeing Miya Osamu storming the room.

“Sorry. A too high frequency, I guess.” The other Miya holds up a device with two levers. Before he speaks again, Tobio dives for his phone, managing to call Komori. Miya Osamu’s hiss of ‘shit’ relaxes his fingers and the phone drops out of his hands. “Apologies, Crow, but you must take a nap now, go and close your eyes.”

Vision blurring as a calm state wraps around him, Tobio doesn’t even feel the hands picking him up and putting him against the bed. He barely sees the twins huddle together, one taking the other up to leave. Komori’s voice is distant over the phone.

_"Fine. We're going to engage."_

Overhead, Tobio hears helicopters. 

 

*

 

"I'm pretty sure they figured it all out," Osamu groans, stopping to catch his breath and leans Atsumu against the nearest wall. His brother isn't just shaken by Kageyama's violence. 

"Took them long enough," Atsumu grunts, half a smile on his face. Osamu can't believe him.

"You think this is funny?" As soon as Osamu had an inkling that they would be made one of these days, he had his stuff packed, the train times to Kyoto memorized, alternative routes all planned. When Kita came to his door, he half knew that he'd leave his home a little sooner than expected. Whatever Atsumu would endure, he would be there for him. 

They would have to unite with their bosses now, ahead of the plan they never made. Being hunted makes everything a little harder, and Atsumu wasn't making it any easier, being in love with a hero.

"I think we're in deep shit. Any moment now our 'friends' will rain down on us like vengeful spirits, we'll be harassed by the police, our father remains in mortal danger depending if we talk or not. I'm going to lose the love of my life, we both will be spending the rest of our next 20 years in prison. Nothing about this is funny, but what else am I supposed to do?" Atsumu heaves, hand on his chest. Hospital reports of the damage Kageyama could do with his wings were no joke. Atsumu seems in serious pain.

"Where to now? That 'no fight but flight' plan of yours was brilliant, but they're hot on our tails." Eyes skyward, both brothers watch a search helicopter overflying their vicinity. Osamu was somewhat glad that he was on the villain side of things; the heroes didn't have DNA heat signature technology to track them. Found it immoral. Osamu can only scoff at it. 

Footsteps appear in the darkness. Osamu's hands shoots out to hold Atsumu's shoulder, getting ready for the next attack. Maybe if they're silent-

"So you are the famous Miya twins hm? Villains posing as heroes. You chose a fine name to hide your true intentions." 

"Who the fuck wants to know?" Atsumu spits back. Osamu has a bad feeling.

"Yeah, if you don't know us-" He feels an odd sensation taking over his body. He can't move. His eyes somehow look at Atsumu's, and he finds a white, blank stare. The wrongness of it all doubles when a shape appears in the shadows, purple hair wild and floating. The noise of the helicopter fades away. And slowly everything blurs.

"Oh, thanks for answering. Now please, hands behind your back, stand side by side, and kneel slowly while I'll let the authorities know I caught you." 

Osamu can't fight the voice, bringing his hands around his back. His mind blackens out too, just as his knees hit the stone. The last thing he sees is the crooked smile of Shinsou 'Mindcore' Hitoshi appearing before him.

 

*

 

When Atsumu comes to, he finds himself slumping forward without falling. Opening his eyes, he first sees his feet. Then how there is a chain tethering them together and to the flooring. Moving his arms, Atsumu notices shackles around his wrists. There's a chain around his chest as well, hurting more than it should because of Tobio’s rough handling. The chain explains why he doesn’t fall forward. His head feels heavy for reasons he cannot understand. In an attempt to lift it and maybe shake his head out of a stupor, he finds Osamu next to him. Leaning backwards in an awkward angle with the tied wrists, his eyes stare into a corner, into nothing.

A black rubber mask covers his face. It reaches from below the eyes, towards his ears, covering nose, mouth and chin. It's reach stops at the jawline, hiding it. There's fan-like opening to the sides and small holes punctuating it. Black in black. 

Atsumu tries to speak, he hears the muffled sound stop at the barrier around his mouth. Looking down, crossing his eyes, he sees the black rubbery mask blurring over his nose. Its straps go around the back of his neck and head. He tries to contact Osamu again on their own special wavelength.

["Hey,"] Atsumu reaches out to him, but the response is silence. As the bus runs over a hump in the road (or a dip; Atsumu cannot tell on these hard benches) Osamu's body bounces with the movement. Looking around, Atsumu takes in the contraption in which the two brothers are chained. He's seen these large police buses before, usually to keep a whole bunch of villains or rowdy people collectively. Atsumu had helped capture them before, and now found himself on the other side of law. 

Exhaling, he looks to Osamu, whose eyes finally find him. They're heartless. The same eyes he had when he stabbed Suzuki. It's not a look Atsumu has seen turned on him often. At last Osamu talks back. {"Did you tell him, before the run?"}

["Tobio? I told him he was in danger, that the villains... that our superiors made him a target. But I didn't know if—"]

{"I fixed it, the pass-code. The secret getaway. Whatever happens, you have to tell him, or he'll never be able to flee."} Osamu's face might look like it was made of stone, but Atsumu can read the lines between, understand Osamu's silence as much as his loudness when it was aimed at him. They were together since birth. Inseparable. Whatever was thrown at them, they tried to give back twice as hard. If one brother was hurt, the other would avenge him. They held hands when they were 6 years old and a storm raged over their heads. They hugged each other tight when they were 10 and taken away from home. 

They vowed to have each other's back since they were children, a vow strengthened every time their lives became shittier. 

There were no words of gratitude in the known vocabulary which Atsumu could offer. Osamu risked himself for Atsumu's request too. Even if one of them would somehow make it out, their organization would use the other twin. And that was if Atsumu could even fix all that he's broken with the heroes.

The bus stops. Atsumu calms his breathing, listening to the driver and passenger doors opening and being slammed shut. Facing the large double exit doors to their confinement, he readies himself for whatever happens next.

 

*

 

Lights dim in the hallways through which they pass. Atsumu knows there is not one solid route that would take them from the underground garage to the cells without anyone seeing them. Still, Sakusa made it so that they have a mostly clean route so far. Atsumu can understand that Sakusa doesn't want this to be known. That they infiltrated a good system and tainted it with villain blood. It could give the bad side more ideas and it is after all. They're not being led directly to the cells, but to the level where the interrogation rooms are. Neither he nor Osamu struggle against the hold of the officers leading them down one hall to the next. It's not until one door opens to a wide-span office room that the blood freezes in Atsumu's veins. 

Tobio sits, wings out behind him, on top of an office cubicle. His eyes are hidden behind the half helmet mask he wears, his pose seemingly at ease; one leg props up against the ledge, holding an elbow on top. The rest of Tobio's limbs hang loose over. His face is turned, as if regarding Atsumu. The fool didn't flee as Atsumu told him to. Of course he didn't. Heroes weren't afraid of danger, especially the unknown kind.

Unable to bear the thought of those wings in captivity, Atsumu's struggle starts. At once, Komori is at his side, in his entire jellyfish glory. 

{"These stupid fucking muzzles aren't perfect yet. Ram your head against the ground or the wall, it should be coming off. I'll distract them."} Osamu's upper body lowers into ram mode as he charges the officer holding Atsumu, releasing the vice grip on his brother's hands. At once, Atsumu ducks away from Komori's bright swirling arms. Around them is no one else to help, but Sakusa comes in from the other side of a cubicle, shouting orders. Bound and quirk-restrained, others might be at a disadvantage. The twins were raised on the street and knew how to fight dirty, and they use it to all their might. As Osamu kicks men between their legs and keeps himself wide to shield Atsumu from them, Atsumu makes a break for it.

Taking a few steps back, he runs to the wall, jumps sideways against it. Not a single care is given if it will hurt or not. The black face mask breaks, and Atsumu shakes it off like a dog would. A flurry of feathers trail before his eyes. Whatever he has to say, Tobio doesn't want to hear it. A hard line of the ridge, bird bone and plum, presses against Atsumu's windpipe. The move could have rendered him unable to speak for days if done any harder. As the back of his head hits the wall, he sees stars for a moment.

"Tobio, wait! This is important, you have to listen to me..." Atsumu can barely see through the stars flickering in front of his eyes, but he can see the blues and the black. His eyes focus; Atsumu's reflection stares back at him from Tobio's helmet, the thing being quite impersonal. 

"Pretty sure we heard enough, you foul asshole. Detain him!" Sakusa yells, throwing a black box to one of the officers. But they're having a hard time with Osamu. 

Without his quirk erased, Atsumu sends a message throughout the building. He doesn't even know the words he's saying, only that his quirk is layered through and through. To rile the people around him up until their bodies shake and fall. He knows Tobio's helmet or whatever other technology he has will keep the quirk out of his ears.

But apparently, Komori also found a counter-measure. The jellyfish exterior reaches over his head and body like slime, and Atsumu can't even see his ears. He refocuses his efforts on Tobio, holding the wing away from his throat.

"Tobio, you have to believe me! They're laying out a trap for you. I didn't know until it was too late. The trap... it will appear fail safe. It will be like a cage, but I never wanted to hurt you like this. It’s a cage for your—" Tobio's wings falls away for a second, but not out of kindness or the need to listen. Komori punches Atsumu in his chest, slams him away from both of them. Atsumu doesn't lose sight of the black winged being, and sidesteps the jelly as much as he can. "Tobio! I double-crossed them, for you. Whatever they'll do, however bad it will look, you can free yourself."

Restrained to the floor, Osamu has two officers on top of him. A third holds a new muzzle for Atsumu. Sakusa hasn't moved from his spot for reasons Atsumu doesn't understand. And Komori remains a wall between him and Tobio. Atsumu looks up, his mouth open, needing the right words to get through his lover.

"Tobio, you're an honest, and fair, and I love that about you. Tobio, please, you have to believe me and remember that I love you! You’re my little goody-two shoes, remember that—!" Atsumu’s eyes widen as Tobio puts a single hand on Komori's jelly shoulder. When Komori steps aside, Tobio removes the helmet from his head. His eyes were the same stark contrast of days ago, when they looked upon Atsumu with warmth and tender care. Since today, they were cold and ruthless. Atsumu has seen too many murderers and thieves to count. 

"Sorry, where you talking, Miya-san? I didn't exactly want to hear a single word from you apart from actual confessions recorded during interrogation. You know, officially." Tobio doesn't smile as he turns away, leading the vanguard of their troupe towards the sound-/bulletproof rooms. Atsumu doesn't feel his legs. He can barely see the muzzle coming over his face, to shut him up again. His brother is being heaved off the ground and forward, all fight out of him as well. 

Sakusa taps it with the back of his fingers. "They have three settings, y'know. The first is to erase all sound, the second is to let you talk without an active quirk. And the third... Well it's a thin prototype, but there's gasses in there. Next time either of you stupid twins makes a move, we knock you out. I didn't want to do that before having a nice talk first. But you best believe it's an option I will employ if necessary." Following Tobio, Sakusa orders them all to the assigned room, requesting to put the tapes on ready. "And feed them something light. I don’t want to listen to their stomachs growling.”

 

*

 

It’s a little after 8 o’clock. If the clock in the room is telling the right time. Atsumu can smell food from the rooms, better stuff than what has been put in front of him. He’s kept in a room no larger than a toilet cubicle, alone and chained, but with a bowl of noodles in front of him. The one type he doesn’t like. Sakusa’s courtesy. He cannot reach Osamu. While they’re not in cells, the walls are lined with quirk-erasing mixtures. Atsumu is alone with the silence and his least favourite noodle flavour, but he eats all the same. He has to get some sort of strength from whatever available sources. As they take him in for interrogation, Atsumu complies to every word and movement.

 

When he and Osamu are back together, they’re being pushed into another room, less pleasant then the last while it’s roomier. It’s sparse, with a centrepiece of a table and four chair. The table is not unlike the one in the headquarters they shared; the same size, two chairs on either long edge. The only differences are that this one is made of a thin metal alloy, to block quirks. There’s half-moon arcs enclosing over his wrists to keep the chains on and them unmoving in an upright position. While at headquarters Atsumu would sit at a table with Sakusa and Komori, he had Tobio on his side.

Osamu is being pushed down next to him, his arms unclasping at the back to be re-chained at the front and to the table. The room doesn’t smell like Sakusa’s disinfectant or the smelly noodles Komori and Atsumu treated themselves too between longs hours of work. 

When both twins are seated in front of their angry-looking interrogators, policemen leave through the door. It doesn’t close immediately, having Atsumu look up at the gap. Between it, Tobio floats in, his eyes to the ground. Then he passes to the side of the wall where the stark light above the table doesn’t reach. Atsumu can only see the crossed arms, and then Tobio’s figure becomes one with the dark. 

“He wanted to be present and refused to stay behind the glass,” Sakusa explains as Atsumu has trouble gazing away. Osamu would kick him under any other circumstance; if not for their capture. If not for the fact that even their legs are chained down to secure them harmless. 

Sakusa doesn’t get another word in, as Komori’s unusual silent voice cuts through.

“I thought we were friends,” Komori says, his eyes staying longer on Atsumu before he switches over to Osamu. “We fought together against 10 villains that one time, just you and me. Why did you even pretend!?” 

Osamu looks to the table, in thought. The answers were known to them, a constant in their lives when all else was so unpredictable and dangerous. 

“We didn’t fake liking any of you,” Atsumu says, feeling a cold run down his neck. But the words don’t come out. He sees a small red blinking light just to his right side. 

An indicator to his… ex-colleague that he said something. Komori presses a button and the muzzle replays the words. As soon as the repeat of it is out, Atsumu senses movement to his left. He knows the fabrics of Tobio’s hero costume, the grip of hands over elbows tightening, the rustle of a movement come forth from being unsettled. Then the scrape of crow feet over granite flooring, the impatient tick of a single talon. Out there, Tobio could have hurt his body, but he only went to tear Atsumu’s heart into small pieces.

“The problem is, as much as we liked our hero organization and the teams we worked with… we cannot give you what you want. What kind of protection can you promise us when you weren’t safe all this time?” Osamu explains, wishing as much as Atsumu that there would be another way. 

When Sakusa speaks, there’s no ounce of consideration. Atsumu slumps in the seat as much as he can, listening to accusations which are right, all his acts of villainy, every point where he crossed the heroes while he was stationed here. Osamu takes the killing of Suzuki for himself, telling them Atsumu only got him there. 

“It was an order, one we couldn’t disobey. Like all the rest. Trust me, I know Atsumu took no joy in deceiving you. Any of you,” Osamu’s eyes switch to the left corner, but there’s no rustling fabric or a scrape of talons. 

“Right. The disobey this. Read this out loud for me,” Sakusa shoves paper the size of a5 across the table. Osamu looks down, confusion drawing his brows together. When Atsumu takes a glance, he sees the most random things mingling with the crimes Sakusa counted earlier. Staring at Sakusa now, Osamu’s confusion doesn’t lessen. Sakusa grins. “Read it out loud, or I’ll do what I wanted to do since that miscreant has been captured. I will punch Atsumu’s teeth out.”

Sighing, Osamu shakes his head, then does as he’s told. Straightforward and in a monotone voice. Atsumu doesn’t get it; merely reading it out loud, Osamu doesn’t confirm having done any of this. It’s simply a statement without their names in it. And then the random number sequences, a few times here and there. When Osamu is done, Sakusa takes the paper back, looking to a side of the wall. When the wall doesn’t do much other than being a wall, glances back at them.

He keeps the rest short. “You will be transferred under my supervision to Tokyo. I’ve heard you guys wanted to pay us a visit anyway.” 

“Wait, that’s it?” Osamu says, indignant eyes staring up at Sakusa and Komori now that they’re standing. 

“I have someone in my team, my true team, who can get the truth out of you. I didn’t think it necessary to get him here for a small errand. So yeah, we’re done. You two will be locked away for some time to get used to the imprisoned life. If you don’t want to tell us where your organization is… the Ikuta-kai’s movements are easily tracked from the air.” Sakusa grins, showing the twins that they let the police force to undercover work. They made rounds in the criminal circuit, circulating that rumours of twins being caught.

“Did it all day. How does it feel to be left out and not know any of this, mhn? What did you think would happen, after Miya Osamu took out Kita? Ojiro was around the entire time, but on strict orders not to interfere with Osamu lest he might run to the criminal side and alert them. Instead you came to Atsumu, making it so easy for us to catch you both. Well, by now your boss will know that we have you. They will make a move.” 

“No,” Atsumu says, but once again the light blinks. Komori looks towards Tobio, and whatever he can see that Atsumu can’t, he decides not repeat whatever Atsumu had to say out loud. [“No, if he follows them… they will capture him for sure!”]

“Kageyama Tobio, please just… give Atsumu one minute,” Osamu pleads in his case, but his muzzle gets switched off, the rest of the sentence a red beeping light and nothing else. Sakusa has turned already, indicating to another corner to open the door. Komori gives Atsumu one last look of disgust, then follows. The door opens, and Atsumu strains against his bonds. 

Tobio stays still in the doorway. Atsumu can see the other two in the shadows. 

“Ten words is all I give you. I don’t care what kind of case a villain like you could plead to a hero like me… and it’s way more than you deserve,” Tobio nods to Komori, who comes back inside. A green light switches one for a second on Atsumu’s mask. Ten words. 

Atsumu’s mouths opens, but words fail him. 

 

*

 

Osamu knows it’s not his job, but he can feel Atsumu’s heartbreak. And he cannot stand it. He performs the switch. Keeping his face just like Atsumu's moments before, who watches him like a hawk. No one knows their other secret ability, or even suspects it apart from Tobio, who might not even notice the difference. Still, when Osamu speaks with his own voice, he sounds sincere.

"He… I love you. The passcode is: Little goody two-shoes."

"Weren't those 11 words?" Komori wonders out loud, and a click sounds, silencing Atsumu once more. They switch back inside their own bodies, and Atsumu's shoulders slump down.

{“You tried.”}

[“…Not hard enough. Not early enough. I… I lost him.”]

Not able to see Atsumu like this, Osamu looks up to the door. “Even if I told you that they were indeed going to make a move tonight, it’s not as if you’d believe a word I’d say,” Osamu says, earning Komori’s laugh.

“No, we wouldn’t. That’s why I turned your own tricks against you. Voice recordings, changes, calling your boss’ cell from your own. Some ‘Chiba’ guy with a 3. in front of his name. Asking what the best meeting place would be for you and Atsumu to show up. Oh, don’t look that surprised.” Komori waves a hand in front of him. “Did you really believe everything Sakusa just said, after you lied to us for years?”

“Wait… what did you tell him?”

“Just their biggest wish; that you would meet Atsumu, and that you would hand me over,” Tobio says, disdain in their voice. “It’s what you planned, isn’t it? To get to know me, to get me to… trust you. Just for my wings. If they think anyone thinks it’s so easy, I will show them their prowess.” 

 

*

 

Waiting outside, Tobio watching both the twins being taken away. The spies found. The threat minimized. And his stomach and heart at turmoil with his brain. The facts of violence and misconduct so clear, yet Atsumu’s eyes and his desperation a fog.

"Kageyama-kun." Komori's hand reaches out for him, but Tobio is out of the hallway before anyone can stop him. Runs up the stairs as soon as he sees Atsumu’s broken form. Breaks down locked doors until he can breathe fresh air on the roof top. His wings spread, beating the granite, then he flies. Up and up, until the air becomes thin, and he can stop thinking.

Stop hearing Atsumu's voice inside his head, over and over and over.

Not the 10 or hell, 11 words. He knew that wasn’t Atsumu. Knew because of the slip. Knew Atsumu's face through and through. He was done seeing it. 

 

*

 

Facing the Daimonji mountain, Kiyoomi doesn't hear Motoya until the latter nudges his shoulder. "You think they'll show?"

"If they want Kageyama as bad as that bastard Atsumu made it sound like, yes." Kiyoomi's scowl has been ever present since Miya's capture. Motoya couldn't fault him; his stomach still twists at the thought that he's befriended a villain for years and didn't know. Neither of them had eaten after exiting the nearby police station. All prep has been done, and Motoya worsened the state of his stomach by drinking coffee. 

"We should come back when all of this is over. August, preferably. We could join the Daimonji festival, then." Motoya tries to lighten the mood, standing shoulder to shoulder with Sakusa, looking at the famous mountain.

"...August in Kyoto. Sounds like hell." 

"It would be fiiiine. We wear summer yukata, go by the food stalls. I even find a place without a people at this river to enjoy viewing it." Motoya laughs, as they both turn to the Kamo river. They hadn't seen a single truck yet. Villains running late is what Motoya just needed on this day. 

"Yeah, whatever. We'll see." Kiyoomi motions to the nearest crossing, where the headlights of a truck have come to a standstill. Motoya can't see Kageyama anywhere. Hasn't had contact with the flying hero except the transmission that he was in position. If Motoya felt like shit being lied too, he didn't want to imagine Kageyama's feelings. This must have been one of the nastiest break ups in history of break ups.

"Not our guys. Shit, what's keeping them?" Kiyoomi groans, looking over the river side. "Nothing's gone off yet." 

Motoya doesn't like the silence either. They had somehow managed multiple, natural looking 'accidents' on the train lines. Less people and traffic from the underground. As it nears midnight, Motoya looks at the cloudless sky. He misses Tokyo, missing the high skylines and abundance of neon lights for miles to see. Meanwhile, the truck that isn't _their_ truck passes by, a sleepy driver singing to himself from what Motoya can see through the binoculars. He hopes he never reaches the moment to become a fan of the nostalgic music this man must be listening to.

 _"Coast clear. Anything on your end?"_ Kageyama's voice rumbles through the comms, and Sakusa is quick to silence him.

"If I would have, I would have said it sooner—" Kiyoomi's eyes track the sky, and Motoya's quick to follow. A black shape flies parallel to the river. Wings whoosh past. They both press on their ear-pieces, where Kageyama talks, his background silent. 

Kiyoomi beats him for words. "Audio time elapse." 

A loud crack sizzles behind them, followed up by a boom that rips their ear pieces apart. They’re flying through the air from the blast. Seeing the riverbed coming closer, Motoya transforms mid-air, stretching his jelly limbs to grab Kiyoomi, and keep him safe. Their landing is soft, as he wills it to be. _Their positions were known, audio hacked, and Kiyoomi—_ Before he can check on his friend, he shields them both more from flying debris.

 

*

 

When Tobio doesn't hear anything for 2 minutes time after he spoke, his wings erupt in anticipation. From here he has a bad sight on Sakusa and Komori, but they don't seem as stressed as he is. Tonight's mission might be compromised, and Tobio takes it to the skies. He needs a better view, needs to be sure—

He had been so sure of Atsumu, too.

"Sakusa, if you can hear me. I have sight on a whole gang, going north up the river, at its right on the east bank. Not a truck, but two cars. They… they painted the gang sign on top of the car roof!” Tobio grits his teeth, feeling mocked. “They didn’t pass the rendezvous point nor taken the decoy bait. I am in pursuit." 

He glides next to their position, not stopping, not waving. Whatever this is, they can figure out what went wrong later. Going low, Tobio readies himself for what he does best, taking out a couple of evil-doers at once. Atsumu must have known what they would be doing in this case, would have told battle plans, evacuations, all of their systems. He's worked with Sakusa and Komori before, knew them better. 

Gritting his teeth, Tobio's anger feels like a cold knife, twisting between his shoulder blades. 

Behind him sounds a minor explosion. It has the same sound as the one at the warehouse, only smaller of scale. That feels so long ago… In the moment it takes Tobio to glance back, to decide if he should let Komori handle it, his eyes are off the gang he follows.

Pain sears through his wings at six places at once. Being unmade at the core of his being, Tobio crashes into the water. The entire stretch has a low water level, and Tobio makes unkind contact with it. Stones scrape his black suit, rip it in places. His visor becomes undone when he hits it. Tumbling further away from his head and lost to the stream. As convulsions rack through Tobio, he doesn't feel the pain done to his immediate body, as whatever happens to his wings numbs his mind. Gasping for air, shaking off water, he brings his wings up and forward, inspecting what hit him.

They must be metal bars spiking through. His vision blurs as the pain runs him to his hands and knees. They’re not bars piercing his wings; it’s small plates, small in size. Furrowing his brows, Tobio brings his right wing close, fingers touching the metal, trying to push it, to get it off. Electricity crackles off his fingertips, but the metal doesn't come loose. Up ahead on the riverbank, figures approach. Torches shine on him, and Tobio counts the portable lights. From the air he didn’t estimate one car having this much people who could possibly hold up all these torches.

The whole week has been riddled with him making mistakes. Atsumu plays with his mind, muddling his intuition, causing entire black outs in Tobio's once so calm and reserved decision making. 

He screams out in pain as the metal bars elicit electricity. Trying to fight it, Tobio swings his wings around, trying to make contact with the bad guys on the river bank. But he's out of range. Stupidly so, by a feather. Gasping for breath, Tobio grits his teeth, forces his feet to step forward. He sees a glint of metal, a walkie-talkie sized item in the hands of one villain punk.

Then the air is punched out of his system, as he staggers forward. Tobio watches as from the metal bars, which aren't bars but magnets on each side of his wings, metal sheets unsheathe, covering his black wings. They become heavy in weight, and Tobio can't find the strength to raise them again. Screaming, his shoulders are bend under, and when he lifts his head, a tattooed face looks down on him. 

"Lil' crow lil' crow, it's time for a nap!" 

He punches Tobio, who at last loses consciousness. 

 

*

 

Motoya slides off his body once Kiyoomi wakes. He sees a tired smile, before the eyes close, the thick brows above furrowing in a last effort to stay with him. Kiyoomi doesn't sit up, afraid he might move muscles that should stay put. He listens to half-molten, half-solid form of Motoya re-assemble. From a full-body shield that broke Kiyoomi's fall, into an all-human being. He hasn't lost conscious yet.

"Stay put," Kiyoomi says, his voice firm. They've lost contact to Kageyama. Standing up and stumbling to the river, Kiyoomi soon sees why. His helmet and crow feet lie at the river bank; dented and scratched at places, but intact. Kageyama would never leave them willingly. To his right, Kiyoomi finds blood spatters, his stomach dropping. Kneeling to the gravel, he finds a small device in midst of the blood. 

Kiyoomi remembers a vague conversation. Kageyama mentioned before coming to Kyoto that he has communication and other devices under his skin. Homemade. He’d tap on his neck, somewhere below his ear, to talk to his friends. 

Needing to make calls on his own, Kiyoomi pats his sides, finding his phone without a scratch. Motoya deserves a raise. And so much more. Kiyoomi makes quick calls to the police station, to the people he put in place himself. The once silent streets comes alive with worried residents, and Kiyoomi has no patience nor time to appease them at almost eleven o’clock in the evening. 

"Is he there..?" Motoya calls out from where he sits halfway up against the wall with a hand over his stomach. At least he was able to move. Kiyoomi turns to him, shaking his head.

Kageyama's gone.

 

*

 

The keyboard melts away under Kei's feet when he props them on top of the desk. He wriggles his toes, swiping data around on his pc screen, trying to find something entertaining to watch. He has a large piece of strawberry cheesecake in one hand, a decent sized fork in the other. His immediate surroundings are dark, despite the many lights the machinery around him produces. 

He _could_ create a light and sound absorbing, thin-layered protection to cocoon him and the screen. But the effort… It's too much work and he ends up not bothering, as it doesn't matter much when he watches a tv series anyway. One of these days he should create an over-sized visor for himself to block out all those lights. He made one for Kageyama after all.

When he finds a series he hasn't watched yet, he hums, about to take a bite from his cake. He can smell the strawberry flavour, when he hears a faint peeping. Now, he's surrounded by noises on the daily, and peeping machinery is his daily bread. But this doesn't sound like anything he's ever created nor installed. Leaning to his right, he follows the sound that leads to a glass door where his pc stands behind. Next to it a couple of tablet-sized monitors, fitting between the glass enclosure and the pc.

The beeping amplifies, then stops. A blueberry blue light flashes once, and then its all gone. 

Feet on the ground, the keyboard returns, shoved aside to put the plate down on the desk. Kei's on his knees before the monitors, pulling one out that should indicate Kageyama's heartbeat.

It's flat-lining. 

Kei's minds empties out, and he thinks he has a second out of body experience. The first was when Bokuto called him and said Hinata was in the hospital. He recognizes the tightening in his stomach, but it’s all the more brutal than that first time; when he knew that Hinata was still breathing.  
His fingers melt into the tablet, and he pours the data of the last 5 minutes into his veins, guiding it to his brain. 

A problem, a time elapsed message, pain, broken bones, and too much metal. Electricity filling Kageyama’s wings, and then the wings—more pain, system failures left and right. And then nothing. A sudden stop in Kageyama's heart. Too sudden to be death when his heart has been frantic moments before.

"Can't be... isn't..." Kei mumbles, then sits back, taking deep breathes to ease up the anxiety threatening to overthrow his usual calm. There was a fight, and Kageyama can't be dead. None of them could be this easily killed, not when Hinata almost split open throat to hip. Not when Narita could always save them. Not when Sawamura's grief and anger could break their country in a million pieces, while Nishinoya would rain the most deadly thunderstorm across mountains and woods.

Setting down the tablet to his original state, Kei taps two fingers to his wrist. A speed dial, watching a couple of lights blink beneath.

"Tadashi, urgent." Kei's legs cross in front of him, and he takes another deep breath through his nose, follows it to his stomach and brings it back up, before he releases it through his mouth. 

They can fix this. He can fix this. He'll take the cake with him, surely needing it later. He’d buy a cake he doesn’t like and smash it in Kageyama’s face.

Make Tobio know this cannot happen a second time. 

_"What is it? Tsukki, what do you need?"_ Tadashi didn't like having too much tech in, but at least he allowed a transmitter near his ear like Kageyama, to be able to be called and talk without having to find his phone. Kei doesn't answer right away. His quirk releases parts of his being into dust, guiding it towards the screens, the keyboards, the computer. What Kei needs is on his mind, and much the same way it appears on the search engines.

Tadashi doesn't ask again, but Kei can hear him right above him. Moving around, waking up, getting dressed. All the way he talks to Kei, asking questions that have no answers yet. Just hearing Tadashi’s voice steadies Kei enough to do his job as a support. He scrambles up to his seat once he can stand, his hands on top of the keyboard before ever typing a letter. Code and electronic wavelengths fuse from him into the machines, their technology part of him.

He finds the Kansai feed, several cities and reports. His eyes blink and he sees a blow up of information and distress. An explosion near Kamo-river, zero dead. None missing. _Safe for one..._ Kei cannot see Kageyama anywhere in the images, doesn't hear him in audio files. 'Heroes are on the scene' say several sources, and Kei finds Sakusa and Komori. 

"Meet me here. We have to clean up Kageyama's mess, I fear," Kei says with a voice that isn’t quite his. A voice he used talking to Shouyou when he was on watch duty that first week, and Tadashi was getting food. A voice he uses to tell Hitoka he’s fine when he’s not, knowing she’ll give him a hug. 

He transfers whatever he can find across the team; top down, including Tadashi as he's already awake and in need for answers after Kei woke him. 

Physically ill, Kei’s fingers touch a picture he sees of Sakusa Kiyoomi. He closes his eyes, allowing all focus to reach out to this single human being. And to a phone Kei hopes is there with this person. 

He hears the ring. Tadashi's voice fades slowly. "I'll get everyone. See you in half an hour, Tsukki."

The second ring goes off. Probably because Kei didn't bother showing a caller ID. Kei makes the phone buzz harder, showing at least a message on the smartphone he can feel now, physically in Sakusa's hand: ‘Pick up or I'll have you regret it'

_"Who the fuck shit is this?"_

"Is Kageyama dead?" Kei says without thought, biting his tongue right after. That wasn’t what he was meant to say, but it was the most important thing to know. Sakusa breathes out, creating static.

 _"You're Eclipse. I was thinking about adding you to this job, remember? And you said no. Why should I tell you anything about this mission you didn't want any part in?"_ Sakusa taunts, but his voice says enough for Kei to feel more at ease. Sakusa had indeed ask him for the same job as Kageyama. But Kei didn't like to fully enclosure his quirk to people he doesn't know. It would stay a guessing game even to some people in the Crow hero office. Only because people like Tanaka and Nishinoya would make him move from support to actual hero. 

They didn't have time for this. Kei watches the feed, concentrating his energy from Sakusa's found to anything that could belong to Kageyama. He finds it all; visor, crow feet, and the small communication device. Grinning, Kei focuses on the smallest and most dispensable item. And makes it go boom. The feed crashes for a second, and Kei can hear the terror around Sakusa's person. Street lights out, a block-wide power surge, coming from where Sakusa is standing, where the communication device lies fried and smoking. 

_"That reach is abnormal."_

"The moon's interference on our planet happens even when you don't see it," Kei says, hearing Tadashi in the background, packing. One of Kei’s hands has reached into another screen, disappearing behind the black mess. He needs to make sure of something else before he continues speacking. "Fine, don't tell me anything. Just make sure to keep an eye out on those twins. I see they’re in your custody."

Kei hangs up, removing everything away from Kansai and back to his current positions. Tadashi uses another keyboard to help Kei sending the new information to their colleagues. Their friends. Their family bonded by more than blood. Tobio is one of them, and whatever Kei might have said on another day if asked, he rather has Tobio alive and safe than missing. 

Once the terror dies down inside of him, Tadashi shoves the cake in front of Kei’s nose. "You thought the worst happened. Eat.”

 

*

 

Motoya looks at Kiyoomi's phone, at the darkness Eclipse caused from half the country away. "Impressive... I see why you were interested." 

"Tch, he knew. Of course he knows. No one can be trusted with anything." Kiyoomi gives a disgusted look towards the still bloody technology that once hid under Kageyama's skin. "He thought Kageyama was dead. Must be some kind of heart-trackers in these things. Anyway, we're going back to headquarters. Those blasted Miya brothers have some talking to do." 

And Kiyoomi wanted to make sure they were still there, flesh and blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :O
> 
> O:
> 
> OHA.
> 
> Anyway, the weekly updates are definitely good to go. This week I was busy with chapter 8 (which is. so badass. Omg another important chapter but like. It's so cool you guys.)


	6. Untamed crows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not all those that are caught will remain stationary. Captivity and freedom go hand in hand. But who does the capturing, and who does the freeing?
> 
> The Miya twins find themselves moved from place to place. But not even they can imagine their final destination. Not in any better position, Kageyama makes important decisions on who to trust and who to fight. Forged by what passes as 'love', fate has welded Tobio and Atsumu together. No machine could part them so easily.
> 
> And a murder is on the move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NYAHAHHAHAHAHAHA HERE IT IS. Okay so this chapter is... huge. I did not plan to make this one 11.6k but as I was fleshing out the plot points, it became longer and longer... I think it's the longest in the bunch. There's a couple of povs, a hell of a lot of action, some pain and tears... but also resolutions and maybe?? A happy ending on the horizon??? (Although saying that is just. way too early |D)
> 
> So, I never thought I'd love writing Tsukishima as much as I did in the past few years. Because of this, he has a huge role in this series. It's funny because out of all the 5 first years, I love Yamaguchi the most :''D
> 
> I know a lot of you gorgeous readers who keep up week after week have been utmost anxious. Alas, let me put your speculations and fears to rest. I knew what I was doing from the start, and a lot of twists and turns weren't anticipated. 
> 
> PLEASE ENJOY!! I honestly tried to make this chapter as blockbuster-y-feely as possible.
> 
>  **PLEASE NOTE:** Knife/blood warning for the latter part of the fic.  
>  There is a moment marked by ‘blinds his eyes’; it’s very short, but there’s knife and blood mention, as well as a hint of torture (absolutely non-explicit, but the hint of it might set people off). I can only guarantee you that I cannot handle such stuff myself so the barest hint is all I deemed okay to tell in the story. The next chapter won’t deal with it at length either. Stay save reading my loves!!  
> (also the knife won’t go for the eyes but still in the face.)

Kiyoomi runs through the holding cells, thinned out of prisoners. At the end of the hallway, where they keep quirk-users, he reels his arm back and punches down the door. Seething, he steps over the curbed wreckage, and makes quick work in identifying which twin is who. Focussing on the yellow-ish blond hair, he keeps himself in check to punch flesh and bones down next to the door.

"Where is he?"

Miya Atsumu's face falls, his shoulder slump. Kiyoomi doesn't care. He repeats his question, which isn't a question but an outright demand, a second time, willing himself not to kick either of the twins to pieces to get an answer.

"Where is he?" He takes menacing-looking step forward, looking down on Atsumu. Dead eyes look upward, and he has the gall to shake his head. Kiyoomi loses every sense of his build-up cool. There's no one here to see him, to judge him. Nothing but piece of crap villains. "Answer me!"

"We can't," the twin with the ash-blond hair replies. "They'll kill us if we disclose the location and—"

"I'll disclose your life if you don't talk, fucker." Kiyoomi raises Atsumu by his collar and slams him against the wall. Despite the gasping and hanging on to dear life, Atsumu grinds his teeth before he talks.

"Tobio won't need your help. I told him how to escape."

"You told him shit," Motoya says from the doorway, arms crossed. He looks busted, but otherwise fine enough to stand there and threaten. Kiyoomi doesn't think he needs the support to do so, but he's glad Motoya can walk and talk. He looks like he’s gone from hell and just returned. To be at Kiyoomi’s side. He nods to Atsumu. "Before we put that deafening muzzle on you, you told him absolute bull crap." 

Osamu looks to Atsumu, as if this whole 'imprisoned and sentenced to life long punishment' doesn't phase him. "If Kageyama believes you as much as these two, he's doomed." 

"Don't talk to me," Atsumu spits to his brother, while keeping his eyes on Kiyoomi. Kiyoomi hadn't cared to put them in separate cells or in quirk erasing ones. The muzzles would be enough. Kiyoomi feels like a fool, standing here worrying about Kageyama's whereabouts. He had to enlighten Ukai to the case, had to tell him he didn't know where Kageyama was. Only that he'd been taken by villains. Villains that once more disappeared from the face of the earth.

"Is this a fucking joke to you? Don't tell me, of course it is. Playing around as heroes wasn't enough to make us look like a shit show." The urge to hurt them rises, and Kiyoomi presses Atsumu's body against the wall. It breaks behind him, as he pushes mere skin and bones and a bit of muscle further into the granite. Atsumu cries out, but doesn't fight him. 

"Sakusa, stop," Komori says, and Kiyoomi can hear his crossed arms unfolding, can hear Atsumu’s bones bending and about to break, and he hears Osamu standing up. "Kiyoomi, stop it! None of this is going to bring us any closer to Kageyama. We have to find him ourselves."

Kiyoomi's rages subsides like a flame in the wind, and he shoves Atsumu into his brother's arms. He coughs, but isn't bleeding. There’s going to be a map of bruises on his back tomorrow though.

"Fine, don't speak when you're supposed to. Suit yourselves. You may take one last good meal here. I changed my mind about taking you anywhere east. I don’t want either of you near my prefecture. And whatever truths we need we can get out later too. The two of you will be transported to Kobe prison by first light. Good luck surviving that." 

Kiyoomi turns heel, pushing Motoya out before he feels the same need to give the twins a parting present. The night has been too long already, but he still has a million things to do and take care off. At least Motoya would be there to help. The only ray of light in the otherwise complete darkness Kiyoomi has to stumble through.

 

*

 

When the silence returns to their little slate grey brick home, Atsumu's voice rips through it like usual. "Do you remember dad's last words to you? To you specifically, and not us?"

Osamu's eyes become distant as they search for the memory. 

"I always calmed him. He said I reminded him of mom, and after a long day, he'd ask me to speak to him. Tell him stories, made up or real. Anything to ease the pain, the memory of... He also used me to get you to sleep, but you know that. Anyway, somewhere in the last week of him going free and we not knowing how actual shitty the world is, he told me you tease people way too much. He said he needed me to look out for you when he couldn't. Calm you down if need be, when no one else could." 

Atsumu chuckles, feeling warm. Whatever their dad had done, he was still their father, and he tried everything for them. "Really... he said to me that you were too silent, too turned in your own little world. That _I_ had to look out for _you_. Keep your spirits up when things would be bleak." 

"...Guess he just wanted us to have each others backs." 

"Well, we got that far." The laughter is out of his voice, the memory gone to leave them alone in the cold. After a while, Osamu' knee hits his. 

"He'll be okay. If he manages to get over you, he'll break free too." 

"...Yeah... Yeah I know." 

"Hey, d’you reckon Sakusa knows he's creating a little family reunion for us?" Osamu says after a while, trying to ease the air glooming around. He sits back against the brick, knowing full well they won’t find comfort here. “At least we might be able to see dad.”

Atsumu stares off into a corner, not sure if they could be granted even a speck of that hope. The worries for Tobio overwhelm him. 

 

*

 

Squinting at the light, Tobio slowly regains consciousness. He can't check the room he's being held in at first. It's a total change from the night.

The pain starts anew. Tobio's wings are being held up by metal ropes, and they go all the way up into the light that blinds him. Breathing hard, Tobio looks down instead, his bare feet are chained to the ground, the interlinking chains going around his legs up to his knees. To his front, his arms are bound, wrapped together. Fingers numb, he realizes his panicked breathing, and slows down his heart-rate by exercising calm.

"Ah, little birdie is awake."

Shutting his lips, Tobio keeps his head down, rising it slowly. He makes no sudden movements, doesn't go on a frantic search where the voice comes from. It appears to be all around him in this dome shaped, godforsaken place.

"Don't even try to move your wings, you'll only break them! Maybe not even that." 

The sound is unreal, static. There's no one in the room with him. Easing a breath through his nose, Tobio tries to concentrate on the transmitter under his ear. 

And finds more pain awaiting him. The itch is sudden. There had been so many things to focus on that only when he focuses, Tobio can feel that something vital is wrong. Apart from being trapped, apart from being unable to move, he feels a sharp pain on the right side of his neck.

"Ah, missing your fancy little communicator huh? Let me fill you in on the last three hours that you have been sleeping."

Three hours. Tobio wants to vomit.

"We took your interesting body through a couple of scanners. Although my scientists wanted to focus on the wings, I warned them! I said, 'That glasses kid of Ukai's, he's a smart one. We have to outsmart him or our price will disappear.' And of course we found his little gimmicks. Trackers, communicators, heart-rate measurements. You've been outfitted to the max, apart from those god given wings."

"So you took me all the way to a lab where they can track you still," Tobio says, knowing quite well that the organization that housed the Miya twins and brought them all the way to infiltrate the hero alliances wouldn't have made that mistake.

"Obviously, no." The voice has a hint of amusement that has Tobio hoping he can punch in one day. The sooner, the better. "The metal surrounding your wings might be good to deflect searchers, and our underground facilities may hide you from the light of heroes, but we weren't so stupid to cut out those parts right at the heart of our organization. Oh no, Crow. Where you are hidden, no one will find you." 

Tobio hangs his head, shaking it as memories violate him. 

_'Tobio, wait!'_

"No..." 

"There really is no way out of here, not for you, anyway.

_'You have to believe me!'_

"Go away..." Tobio sobs, his eyes shut tight, but the memories washing across his lids. "Leave me alone." 

"I hope we didn't hurt you too much on the way! I made sure to have the electrodes hit your brain and heart. Your wings should be fine for the picking." The voice coming over the speakers has Tobio shake against his trappings, but not as much as the voice inside his head. He yells when the words won't stop messing him up, and he starts to quiver all over.

_'I double-crossed them, for you. Please believe me!'_

"In a few moments, my scientist will put you to sleep. We'll then strip you of a few feathers. Just checking if what Atsumu said is true. If they're healing properties fade. And then to see how long it takes for them to grow back. After all, I hope you'll give us a repeatable good harvest, Crow boy." 

He was crying, tears streaking down his cheeks. Behind him, sliding doors open, and he hears steps nearing towards him. His heart thunders against his ribs, and he hates how much the thought of Tsukishima and Yamaguchi not able to hear it, not able to find him, to help him... how much it truly hurts to be alone. 

_'The trap... it will appear fail safe. It will be like a cage, but I never wanted to hurt you like this. It’s a cage for your—‘_ His wings. They went solely after them to take him down. And Atsumu knew it would have happen. Tried to warn him. _’Whatever they'll do, however bad it will look, you can free yourself.'_

"No... you lied. You're a liar... I don't believe you..." 

"Oh, you will believe. Now, don't fret. The drug will calm your nerves." 

Tobio looks up, finding white shapes in front of him. He doesn't feel their gloved hands as they touch his arms, seeing a needle coming for his throat. 

What had Atsumu said? Before he was taken away. Tobio should remember; there had been so much screaming, a muzzle, Osamu causing a commotion.

But before the muzzle, there had been a word. A single word. A taunt Atsumu had used before, and then in their time together, said lovingly. 

Tobio's tear streaked face rises up, as if welcoming the needle and the drug. Sound stops around him, but he hears the beeping of a machine. His bound hands lead towards it. A screen, a single modem. A small microphone hidden behind. 'My little goody-two shoes...'

Out loud, Tobio says the word. " _Okori-san_."

The needle hits his skin, but before the drug is pushed through, mechanical clicks sound from everywhere. The wing-cages unlock, but take time to become undone. The scientists leap backwards with a yelp, but a look at their screens offer no help; they’re all black.

Chains loosen around his legs, and they slide off his arms, melting away without a stitch seen. Around him, lights flash in red, blacking out. The scientist scramble, shocked when at last, the wing-fitted cages fall in four heavy thuds. The clasps that bound them roll away, useless. Tobio sways with the freedom, as the weight falls off his shoulders. Stretching backward, widening his wings, he feels every single feather, every plume, covert, from the secondaries to the primaries, until the wings half halo his form and the tips reach up.

He can finally breathe. Gazing up, he can see an opening past the blaring alarms, a hole widening. When a deep sound reverbrates from up top, all light flicker out of existence, leaving the true path to the night sky.

They shouldn't have build this place so close to surface. 

 

*

 

"We're ready for transfer, sir." 

"Good. Line the hallway, make sure every weapon in the arsenal is aimed at those two shit-heads." Kiyoomi growls to the police captain. Motoya jumps from one foot to the next, fidgeting. He has minor bruising on the shoulders, and Kiyoomi made him renew any bandages and bandaids. 

"Three trucks, two for decoy. You're going with the twins?"

"No, and neither will you. I will take the middle truck, most likely target. You the rear, second most likely to be hit if villains come around for their prized boys. The police will be stationed in all three. And the twins will head out in a fourth truck, once we're on the high way." Kiyoomi explains, watching, checking every single individual. He'd wished he'd required a better smell for the lying and the corrupt. 

"Sounds good. Wish we'd had Kageyama here..." Motoya's tone lowers towards the end of the sentence. At least Kiyoomi required an ear for that kinda stuff.

"We'll find him, don't worry. I'm more afraid of what the other side will do with him, and with his wings." Kiyoomi wouldn't admit it, even in Motoya's presence, how much thought he gives the captive Kageyama. Trapped somewhere, his feathers taken, his wings drained for any kind of fluid the villains think he hides. But this was his directive, his first mission as a solo leader without superior back up or advice or even around. 

Finding the weak link in their system, and erasing it. At least he’s gotten that done. The twins might face a sentence longer than a decade, life if the truths about deaths and murders come to light. Kobe prison might be their final residence. 

"Word isn't out yet," Motoya checks the feed. It has been hours since the small bombs went off near Kamo-river. Questions were raised even as the dawn of a new day fell over it, but most reports said that heroes have taken care of the disturbance. Kiyoomi's superiors, as well as Kita's agency, had kept a tight lid on it all. No one knew yet that there had been villains undercover. Kita's request was to keep it that way. Not because of the bad reflection on his own agency. It might give other criminals ideas to follow in the footsteps of the twins. To create the perfect spy and hurt the law. 

"Are you letting Kita resign?" Motoya says, hinting at a previous incident in which Kiyoomi made the leader of a small hero agency leave the office. He wouldn’t suffer incompetence. 

"Tch, I wouldn't go that far to suggest. He's a good hero, just a blind fool. No one saw it coming except us. He might have to relocate, but I don't think Hyougo wants to take a blow like that. The twin's agency isn't big in our terms, but the biggest in their own prefecture. Full of otherwise good and spec-less heroes." Kiyoomi's eyes are drawn to a figure entering the parking lot where the preparations are coming to an end.

Kita had said he'd sent Ojiro Aran over. Kiyoomi has met him once. And once had been quite enough.

"Let me guess, truck number one?" Motoya asks, watching Ojiro scowl come closer. Ojiro was out of earshot as he said it, so Kiyoomi nods silently.

"Where are the bastards?" Ojiro says as soon as he stands in front of them, not wasting time saying hello.

Last time Kiyoomi saw him was on top of a building. Either of them were fighting villains, but Kiyoomi was the faster, stronger, and in the end better hero to deal with them. Ojiro has always kept a grudge from his short time at a Tokyo office, but finding out he wasn't in fact the strongest must have hurt. Kiyoomi was used to it; some power quirks were capable in different areas. Ojiro's just happened to lose out on harsh winds whirling at a high building.

In the end, Kiyoomi had to jump after Ojiro and safe him, throwing him into a waiting Motoya in jelly form. Ojiro had never forgiven them. And his grudges grow over time. 

"As much as I want to do so myself, I have to ask you not to hurt them. They broke the law, but we can't." Kiyoomi ignores the inappropiate chuckle behind him where Motoya stands. He squares his shoulders in a warning, and Motoya quickly covers his mouth and feigns a cough.

"Fuck the law. They fooled us all. If you think I'll just watch them walk away--" Ojiro's eyes widen, looking at something behind Kiyoomi. He and Motoya's heads' turn, finding out its a someone.

Two of them.

"Oh, Aran-kun, good evening. Fancy meeting you here," Atsumu muzzle lets the words come out muffled, but that they come is a thorn in Kiyoomi's eyes. Turning fully, he taps a button on Atsumu's muzzle to make sure his voice won't carry a smidge. He’s left the remotes upstairs. Idiotic thing to forget.

Motoya’s arms transform, and he has to make sure Ojiro doesn't freak. 

"Easy! I know they betrayed you longer than us, but you can't—" Komori has to use his slime form to shut Ojiro up as he starts yelling at the twins. Kiyoomi feels a sick joy watching both Miya's cringe. 

"That's the life you'll get, from now on, fuckers." Some one from the police says, and Kiyoomi's simple happiness evaporates. A headache announces itself in the front of his forehead. A couple of more officers fill in behind the first, when none of them should have been here yet. Ojiro wasn't supposed to see them. And no one is inside the trucks, either.

"Stations, if you mind. And keep these two out of sight," Kiyoomi grumbles, already not liking that the easiest part of the plan, not letting everyone except Motoya know what the plan actually was, become doomed. It were his clear instructions that nobody should know in which truck the twins would be exactly. He couldn't trust a single human besides himself and Motoya anymore. And apparently the police were too dumb to follow orders.

Motoya calms Ojiro somewhat down and pushes him towards the first truck. The slime enveloping him and the possible memory of the last time Motoya's jelly arms were around him make Ojiro comply. Kiyoomi can't watch too long, unable to turn his back on the twins. 

"I said, bring them back into the hallway."

"Hallway's full, sir. Everyone's waiting to be assigned to their truck."

Kiyoomi rolls his eyes, feeling a slight pain in his temples. This wasn't supposed to happen. Why was everyone ahead of schedule? He turns his head for a moment, hoping to see Motoya returning. The good-natured sidekick, as he called himself once, whistles his way over. A sharp movement brings Kiyoomi's glare back to the twins, especially on Osamu, who looks at the ceiling. His brows furrow, and Kiyoomi doesn't have time for any of this when there's so much disorder around him.

But then Osamu's eyes widen, and he kicks Atsumu's legs, making him duck and fall backward. A nearby police officer raises his baton because of the sudden movement. As Kiyoomi turns, he watches Osamu shout a warning to Ojiro.

Above them, Kiyoomi hears a loud crack.

_Oh, not again._

 

*

 

Day has hardly started, but he can’t fly another moment. 

He lands with an unsteady crash, and his legs hurt like hell. Tobio rolls over in the grass, knowing to not count the bruises of today before tomorrow comes. Tired and thirsty, he stares at the night sky, his wings spread over the soft grass. Without ever having experienced this sense of inability before, Tobio thinks of his father. The failing attempts to fly. His thoughts are overrun then by his mother's love, pulsing through his wings, through his body.

No matter how many times Tobio's father fell, his mother was there to help him stand. Tobio cannot do it by himself, and the person he thought he'd loved, betrayed him... and...

Sugawara Koushi's words become a third uninvited guest in his mind. A city block in ashes and dust, yelling all around them. Chaos and terror reigning where once had been peace. And in its midst, Sugawara stands smiling, wiping grime off his cheek. He turns to Tobio, eyes bright and alive. _"A lot of people will get hurt if we stop fighting, Kageyama. Whatever wall rises, no matter how high up it reaches, we must overcome it. And you have wings, Kageyama! So it should be just a breeze for you."_

His wings were silent. The feathers he gave to his friends to keep track of them—Tobio doesn’t feel one of them. The one he gave to Atsumu... it is too faint, too far. For the first time, Tobio doesn’t know where he is, where he should be going. After he fled that domed hide-out, he took one direction with winds to ease his passage. 

Nothing is a breeze, and Tobio passes out, needing to recover sleep before anything else.

 

*

 

Groaning, Tobio crouches sidewards, his wings caressing the grass behind him. Body stiff, he sits up. He has no idea where he is, nor where he should go, or who he could call. Clearing his head, he makes a list of things he needs, crossing sleep off without adding it; directions, communications, his friends. It hurts to even admit it, but he can't do this all alone. He needs a team.

Beneath his fury rolls something hotter and much more painful. It breaks his ribcage, splits his souls, and he feels hot tears threatening behind his closed lids. If only he could hate Atsumu. Who betrayed him. Who managed to enable a way out. If only Tobio could rebuild that wall...

"Directions. Kyoto... Sakusa; visor, crow legs, finding out what's what. The Ikuta-kai will make a move east, and there's nothing anyone can do if they're not identified or stopped... Atsumu knows who they are... Sakusa's house... I can't find it, I don't even know where it is. But he must have my stuff. Or they're in a vault. Tsukishima would know, Tsukishima would be able to locate them... I have to call that bastard and _ask_..." Tobio mumbles to himself, rising to his feet. His mumble is like dark matter, invisible and deadly. He doesn't feel his wings anymore, and a weird out of body experience takes place. He doesn't see, doesn't sense, doesn't know anything. 

Trying to hold his head high, Tobio knows one thing. If he's not at least able to fly, it's all game over. His wings take him up, towards the first sliver of a rising sun. He changes course, knowing now where north and south is.

 

*

 

None of them could sleep, even though Daichi explicitely told them they needed the rest. It had been hours since he was woken up after going to bed early. There had been some protests and sleepy responses. Daichi didn't like being the bearer of bad news—even less so the worst kind of news. After Tsukishima’s initial information load, Daichi made sure everyone was ready to leave. 

Rounding everyone who had a car up and going, they’re on the highway to Tokyo. Light streaks in the furthest distance, but it’s still deep into the night. Daichi feels his back stiff from Ukai's old car. 

He taps the tablet to life, then opens an app. It loads and loads, testimony to Tsukishima's fatigue. A 'please wait for connection' sign pops to life; a moon waning and gaining, in a total cycle. Daichi cannot see him from here. All the younger kids were giving him headaches nowadays. At least Yamaguchi keeps himself like a patient and unwavering mountain. "I never asked, but did you call Hinata, too?"

 _"No, Tsukki warned me before I was sending the message to everyone,"_ Yamaguchi, Tsukishima and Yachi are all in Shimada's old car, with Yamaguchi driving. They're behind Tanaka's BMW, who drives Nishinoya, Ennoshita and Asahi. In front of Daichi, he sees Koushi holding the car steady and not too fast. Narita and Kinoshita are asleep in the back, and Shimizu, although he can't see her clearly, is probably smart enough to sleep as well. 

_"Do you want me to call him now?"_

"No, wait until we're 30 minutes from the city," Daichi starts, and after Ukai gives him the thumbs up. There's a cigarette in his mouth which he never lit. Ukai had been awoken with the rest of them when Tsukishima and Yamaguchi raised the alarm. He heard a report from Sakusa’s hours later, when they were already on the road. "It'll give him enough time to dress and get ready, while not enough time to run off without us." 

_"Got it. Ah, Sawamura-san, Tsukki is asking if he should call Kuroo-san or if you want to do that yourself."_

Daichi looks out the window. It was a big favour to ask. He knew Kuroo wouldn't hold it against him, ever. But he just gotten out of there, a tip Kozume Kenma gave him. On a hunch Kageyama had. Between the things Tsukishima had found out but not completely told him, and the subtle hints of Kuroo and Kita, Daichi could form himself a rather vague picture of how big the issues in Kansai were. Kuroo and Kai were pulled away from it to defend Tokyo for whatever might blow their way. Asking a squad leader of another hero's office to sacrifice part of the defense in their little quest...

He'd rather not put the pressure on his kouhai. "I'll call Kuroo."

The app blinks to life, and Daichi can see what Tsukishima is doing. Connecting a call to every tablet in each car. It saves Daichi the trouble of relaying whatever Tsukishima wants him to hear to the others. Ukai lowers the radio volume even more, checking the mirror. He would probably tell Tsukishima to rest, too, but whatever it is that's so important can't wait. 

Not when Kageyama is still missing.

 _"I did some digging. Before this Suzuki fellow died, Kageyama's team—well, Sakusa's team, they set him up for a confession. He came to both Kageyama's and Miya Atsumu's hotel room. Now I have found four files; two raw files, the recordings, and two sent files in Sakusa's archives, having the encrypted confession. The raw files come without sound and need a password that I can't crack."_ A yawn broke through the tablet, before Tsukishima continues. _"I found their pathway, however, as they were transferred. Paths are easy to follow and have minor defenses. I took it apart."_

Ukai makes a sound between a snort and a sigh, something Daichi can relate too. It's a good thing Tsukishima chose to be a hero, support if need be, but he chose the good side. He would have been so much trouble otherwise. 

"And?"

_"See, there's something odd about it. Kageyama's files are both the same length, and from what I can see, carry the same sound lengths and waves. Miya's don't, however. There's a difference in length and what has been said at what volume."_

"But you have it, right? Can you play it? I think the longer one would be good to listen to."

 _"Yes, it's the one I was able to acquire. Granted, I haven't listened to it myself yet. I can't be sure or held accountable for what it says."_ Tsukishima sounds more tired than he usual would on night-time or early missions. Daichi knows he wouldn't miss out on this for anything in the world. The five kids had been inseperateable since their first year at a hero school in Miyagi. Whatever came between them, would be sorry afterwards.

"Play it, Tsukishima. We'll see." Daichi's eyes travel back to where the sunrise recreates a golden line on the horizon.

The track plays. Suzuki greets Miya as an old acquaintance. But then the things he says give Daichi's gut a nasty turn.

≪”When I first saw you with the heroes, I couldn't believe my eyes. I was afraid that I was made and that the organization would have my life. So I had to be cautious. But its good to know you're a hero, after all! I don't know how you escaped the Ikuta-kai or why they're not after you at this very moment... See, I almost told that Sakusa guy that you work for them too, or well, worked, I guess! There had been many rumours about you twins as double-agents, and which way you'd swing when it came down to the wire.”≫

Miya Atsumu's chuckle is enough to give Daichi bad chills over his spine. A foreboding only strengthened by his words. 

≪”It was good of you to keep quiet about that... Osamu and I have kept it a secret for so long. We're actually trying to get back at the boss, y'know, the same that you're trying to get away. They know of course that you're blabbering, but as long as I am here, I can protect you. It would be wise, however, to not indulge Sakusa too much. What have you told Tobio-kun?”≫

≪”I told him... I am sorry, but I told him there's a mole in the hero network, and that the organization planted someone in deep. I only used the singular, though! I didn't know if your twin was still with the Ikuta-kai or not...”≫

≪”Osamu and I have always been on the same side. It's good of you though not to accuse me of anything. I'm sure thankful for that. You won't mind, I am sure, to keep this a secret for a little longer? I want to be the one to tell Kageyama and Sakusa first. Before you tell them anything, we should meet another time, and straighten our stories out. If you want to go free in this, you have to give them as much information as you can possible give. I can help you with that.”≫

The recording ends with Suzuki's gratitude. Behind Ukai and Daichi, Tanaka momentarily revs his engine in anger. 

"Sakusa called in Kageyama for support. His hero agency must have suspected there being a double agent in the midst of the heroes... and Kageyama—" Daichi feels blood run hot against his temple, and he has to press his fists tight. Way below, the earth rumbles, but not enough to upset the highway, or the cars driving on them. Breathing out, he opens his eyes. He knows Ukai is watching him, but as soon as his breathing regulates without forcing it, Ukai's eyes gaze away.

Their private communication systems comes alive with indignation and suspicion. Daichi had known that Kageyama visited Kozume, reasons unknown. Kuroo couldn't shed any light onto it, when he said he'd come home and visit Hinata for a bit. Kageyama must have found out about Miya and confronted him. Koushi had relayed to Daichi in not so subtle terms that Kageyama was having a good time in Kyoto, finally enjoying himself a little more outside of working day and night. If he and Miya have been intimate, Kageyama might have opened up.

About himself, about his quirk. About everything he's able to do. 

"Alright alright," Ukai quiets everyone down, before continuing. "Miya is a scumbag that lied and withheld information. Misled heroes and god knows what else. He may have possibly been responsible for Kageyama's kidnapping, too. But all of you have to keep a cool head, at least until we're on site. If Kuroo-kun helps us, we'll have a fresh and more comfortable transport westward. And then you _all_ have to rest. We can't help anyone if we're all mad and tired. Until we find out more, and Tsukishima, I mean that you in particular have to be careful about doing so... we need to keep our heads calm. Kageyama would want you all to stay professional." 

_”But Sawamura-san, I haven’t cracked the government files. There’s something of importance—“_

“No, sleep. Now. That’s an order, and I will see it obeyed.” Annoyed, Ukai reaches over to tablet and closes the app. He stares in all directions, watching those not at the wheels leaning back or against someone, sleep taking them. After some time, he looks at Daichi's hands, still fists.

"You knew he had a relationship with that Miya guy?"

Daichi nods. "Back when... back in the hospital. Kageyama told Sugawara, Yamaguchi and Yachi. He may have told Sugawara a little too much."

"I see. Sugawara was so proud of him that he told the more reasonable and mature of our little rag tag group of misfits posing as heroes. Yamaguchi told Tsukishima, who then told Tanaka and Nishinoya. Yachi informed Hinata, probably as a ways to cheer him up after wakening from that horrible coma. Nothing can be kept a freaking secret, huh?" Ukai huffs a laugh, and it's as empty as Daichi feels. He rolls down the window as the sun rises, then lights his cigarette that has been hanging out of his mouth for the better part of the impromptu road trip.

A small smile creeps on Daichi's face; it's sad and broken, but it's a smile nonetheless. "No, not with us I guess." 

"That Miya kid has a lot of talking to do," Ukai breathes out the smoke, and for once, Daichi welcomes the stink of it. Leaning his head against the window, he calms his nerves. Watching the countryside pass them by, he wish they could halt here instead of the city. He wants to remove his shoes and socks, to walk over the grass, and feel the earth beating solid and stable back at him.

Closing his eyes, he knows he has to rest. It will one good crow to lead a good murder, he’s been told.

 

*

 

Seems Osamu didn’t need to kick and shove him as hard as he did. Atsumu still feels the bruises forming. They find themselves once more in a police bus, armoured and untakeable. They rode during the night and took a break at dawn. Miracously, the twins receive a breakfast, one that’s harder to swallow under the circumstances. 

Atsumu wishes they would have the same privacy as last time in this bus, even though this time he’s ot handcuffed or chained down. He stretches his legs, wincing. 

It had been perfect chaos. The attack on the police station was executed in the most finest Chiba and Yamamura fashion; cheap and brute. The bombs were perfectly placed when Sakusa wanted every available man and woman in the garage. First came the crash, half the garage ceiling gone. Then came the sleeping gass. 

The three of them had been trapped under the rabble, but Atsumu had seen Komori’s jellicent lights flashing. The gas didn’t reach them, didn’t have to. Osamu and he had been surrounded by it, but the muzzles kept them safe. Their first good deed. As they were the only ones remaining in standing positions, yakuza had filled the broken garage. 

Taken hold of the busses has been too easy for them. And it was too clever, too. No one would follow them like this. There had been more than a couple of busses around, and Sakusa’s intention were unclear, as he never shared information with others.

Yamamura’s grin couldn’t be wiped off his face. Ever since he saw the quick-erasing contraptions on the twins, he’s been laughing. Something neat and pretty, he said. Now in the bus, the chuckles quiet down when he looks at them. "Both of ya are sons of whores, y’know that? The fuck you double-cross back and forth the board, you morons? The boss isnt happy, meaning none of us are going to be happy, either. Or did you convienently forget where that dumb fuck of a father of yours resides? And under whose protection he’s been living a good life?”

Neither of them needed to be reminded. Atsumu doesn’t know how to answer any of those questions, knowing Yamamura would cause more harm if they’d try and talk.

“It doesn’t matter who told the Crow how to escape, or that an escape was even possible. Asato-sama will take care of it, and one of you will learn to keep one’s tongue.” Chiba’s rat face shows the same signs of displeasure, but when he mentions punishment, his eyes sparkle. Atsumu’s stomach drops. He knows he will be punished, but they sometimes hurt one brother to get it through the other one.

Atsumu looks at the open bus doors, knowing he cannot run. Even without their abilities surpressed. There was nowhere _to_ run. He easily burned every bridge, and dragged Osamu along with him. He wishes that Asato will allow for him to take sole responsibility for it all, leaving his family unharmed.

Looking up to a sky that breaks with the night and wants the sun to take over, he has only one thing to be proud of. Somewhere out there, Tobio is free and out of harm’s way. For now.

 

*

 

It has been a long time ago that Tobio had to actually use his phone. Tsukishima's little merchandise has been part of his body since high school. It was weird not being able to touch his skin and be connected to his friends. 

Patting the sides of his pants, he’s glad to not come up empty. When the ‘doctors’ had tried to find his hero license and phone, they couldn’t make sense of Tobio’s hero costume. There were hidden pockets, thins hiding under buckles and false zippers. Glad for Yachi’s designs, Tobio fishes his phone out. Even if he had lived with a communications device under his skin, he keeps all his contacts up to date. He finds Tsukishima among them easily. _Annoying four-eyes_. 

Standing still on top of Mt. Atago, Tobio allows the morning breeze to touch his wings, and sooth them. He slowly regains the strength he needs. It would be suicide to take the skies too long with mad men who could take him down on his heels. But he made it out of Hyougo, through a detour after he’s flown the wrong way after his release. 

Bracing himself, he taps Tsukishima’s nickname once, then waits. He picks up on the third ring. Before any sort of nonsense can come from him, Tobio states he's safe.

"And I need help."

 _"You? Needing help? Gosh, that comes as a surprise. Well, we're about to pass Kanagawa. We will get around Lake Biwa by noon. Where to?"_ Tsukishima's tone sounds too forced at being bored. Tobio hears a sigh of relief, which is repeated by a legion. There’s no question where he is; with the call, Tsukishima would be able to track him.

'We.' Tobio's heart grows in size and warmth at the thought. "You brought everyone?"

_"Bringing is a harsh word. Its not like I personally woke them up at night when your transmitters were out. Or that Yamaguchi raided Shimada's for provisions. Well okay that last past is true but, they practically came here all by themselves. Sawamura-san handled most that. Oh, and we took Hinata from the rehab center in Tokyo. Prematurely, I think, but he’s mostly good for a fight. Sawamura-san somehow managed to get Kuroo-san to come, too. But other than that, no, I didn't bring everyone,"_ Tsukishima finishes, or is being finished, as the phone crackles as it changes hands. 

_"He didn't. I am driving."_ Kuroo laughs through the phone. _"Anyway, the question stands; where to? I have a soccer team here dying to see you're safe and alive with their own eyes."_

Tobio looks down on the woken city, his face glancing to the mountains that encircle it. Somewhere over their tops, his friends were coming. Osaka can be seen through the opening of two mountains. And he doesn’t know what happened to Sakusa or Komori. To anyone. The decisions he makes won't just reflect on him anymore. Carrying the responsibility of his team, who chose to come here where all the danger gathers, is a heavy task.

And then his wings come alive. He feels them moving, all of them towards him. He can sense the feathers he gave away, pointers to his family. But there’s another one, not with them. Tobio looks towards Osaka, visible from this point and with the clear winter sky. It rises between the mountains. And there in the distance, is one of his feathers. 

The villains will try and leave Kansai, but surely not before nightfall. 

"Keep out of the city until evening, but I plan to go to Osaka bay. As close to the airport as you can manage without being seen. I have to make a detour first, with Tsukishima's help. But everyone has to..."

_"Business first, lovely reunion and hugs later. Roger that, Crow kid."_

The phone passes hands again, and Tobio’s chest tightens when he hears Sugawara’s voice. There’s worry, but no scolding. Sugawara’s voice is hushed as he speaks.

It wasn’t as if Sugawara’s voice was especially comforting. He used that kind of tone on Hinata, most of the time. Tobio was no stranger to the jokes his senpai pulled, the ease of laughter that rings through his speech. It had a calming effect on many; the way Sugawara could refresh an entire trouple of people. It was an ability so humane and kind, that no one questioned if it was a quirk or just his behaviour.

 _“Kageyama,”_ Sugawara says now, leaving Tobio’s name between them. Coaching him through civilized behaviour with victims, Sugawara’s tone now suggested that he couldn’t decide between treating Tobio as one, or to talk to him hero to hero. _”Look, I know your work ethic. You won’t stop until we’re done or you collapse. But can you promise me you will be careful about the limits of your strengths.”_

Tobio nods, then gives verbal confirmation. 

“May I ask if this line is clear?” Tobio shudders a breathe, not wanting to keep things secret. But he knows this team; from their friendly faces to their battle-worn grimaces. From the tear-streaked to the utmost silent moments they shared. After his question, he hears Sugawara move physically away to what might be a quiet corner. 

_”All clear. What do you need?”_

“Can you explain to me where I went wrong?”

Tobio assumes that the question is not one to be answered so easily. Sugawara doesn’t sigh, nor makes any other sound. His consideration extends to a full minute. 

_”You didn’t. Whatever instincts spread doubt so early has kept you alive, I think. We never know for certain what happens when we give our hearts away. The other person, even the good ones, have a liability to break it, even with good intentions,”_ Sugawara says, a hint in his voice that he may blame himself for this mishap. _”But this was a trap laid out not just for you, Kageyama. And he won’t get off with it easily.”_

“No,” Tobio’s eyes become distant. His surroundings blur. The mind conjures simpler times, naked bodies keeping each other warm at cold nights. How lips met without a word spilled between. “I didn’t plan on letting him.”

 

*

 

Tsukishima's quirk was something truly amazing. Tobio would never admit it out loud. He was one of the few who had gone pro and was well-known. Even as Tsukishima’s many projects were distributed within their tight gang of lawful misfits, Tsukishima's main pet project was Tobio. 

Being a support hero was actually not something Tobio would call Tsukishima, ever. Support wast even good enough to cover all the little things Tsukishima made by hand for all of them. The little machines and chips were uncountable, and without them, the crows wouldnt be who they were today. Tsukishima had built their defenses from the ground up, always tweaking at them.

And no one has been his equal in taking other defenses down. Tobio allows himself access to Sakusa’s private quarters. It took Tsukishima longer than expected to crack the multilayered security system, but it’s not noon yet as Tobio enters. No one is here. 

The low life criminals that overtook him at the Kamo river had knocked his helmet off, took the crow feet, but didn’t bother taking it with them. Yet when Tobio retrieves it from Sakusa's safe house in Kyoto (after a few more moments of Tsukishima’s hacking), it works as fine as ever. 

Once his helmet is recovered, Tobio waits. A few seconds later and a green light blinks across the visor. Putting the visor over his eyesback on, Tobio is being informed of his team's whereabouts, their distance to them and to the bay, as well that he will be untraceable. More at ease to fly this time, Tobio leaves a small note where he's found the helmet. A single-worded apology.

Flying high after raiding Sakusa’s fridge, Tobio can't come up with a plan right away. Too many things have happened and his mind muddles over with the lies and truths he's dealt with in the past week, It takes him a good few minutes to combine what he knows in his brains, what his guts undermines, and what his heart beats through both his higher-skilled senses. Having Tsukishima at easier reach through the helmet, Tobio starts to formulate a couple of ideas. First of, he needs to know where the twins are. He can feel Atsumu’s whereabouts south-east of Osaka, but where the other one is...

 _"Oh, the fun continues."_ Tsukishima cuts in as soon as Tobio thinks about Atsumu. Then the horrors multiply. The twins were supposed to be supported from the Kyoto cells to Kobe prison. The top three of the Ikuta-kai and an army of flunkeys stormed those cells when the transfer was in full affect, under Sakusa's command. _"Your friends Sakusa and Komori are out of comission, being treated by a nearby hospital. Everyone was knocked out by some sort of gas. I have the video, going to wire it through. Meanwhile, I will check the license plate."_

Tobio watches the feed, his wings giving way to a couple of harder breezes that wouldn't usually knock him down. The video replay shows the twins standing in the midst of the fog, the black ‘silencers’ as Komori called them securely over their lower face half. Audio was cut out due the shooting.

 _"Kageyama, this has bad news written all over it,"_ Sugawara's kind voice comes through the static, as he wires himself in behind Tsukishima's monitors. Or so Tobio remembers it from home. _"They vacated Kyoto shortly after 5 a.m. And as you guessed, Osaka is where they’re at, but it cannot be a final destination. Shimizu says they might head to the airport, or will try to flee over water. If it's water she can freeze it, but crashing a plane is not something she feels comfortable doing. Even over the bay."_

There's more noises in the background, Tsukishima's fingers tapping away, eliciting high security information as if he's asking Google for a recipe. Everyone's arguing for a 'gentle' plane crash into Osaka bay to give the villains a fright. Here and there, Ukai and Sawamura cut through, taming the team. The sounds are as welcome as a warm bath; old routines ease Tobio's tired bones, and the situation sharpens his mind to a cutting edge. For a moment, all noises subside until Tsukishima says a small 'Aha' as he finds a target.

 _"They're definitely flying, Crow. Kansai airport was issued a speed request for a transfer this morning, approved for tonight. A private shuttle. I'm currently listening to what sounds like Sakusa's voice, requesting the transfer of A-class criminals to an unknown destination. Of course this can't be Sakusa, since he's in a hospital leading nothing."_ Tsukishima's tone sounds troubled, but he cannot keep a minor smile out at the end of his sentence given the private joke. 

_"Oh, god. You don't think—?" Ennoshita asks within the silence that followed._

_"Yes, it's definitely them.” Tobio grumbles. They used the same altering technique to compose a message out of Sakusa’s words, the way Sakusa has done with Osamu’s. They must have tapped conversations between Sakusa and Atsumu, kept for precisely this reason; using a hero’s voice against them._

_“But they can't leave right away. This will give our duped king a small window. The smallest."_

They have until evening.

"That's all I need. Keep west, and stay north of the bay. Don't go towards Osaka," Tobio says, already knowing what he will do. He can't beat a plane if its in the air. But he will take it by force before it leaves the strip.

 _"Kageyama, I don't like the sound of your voice. Listen, I have a plan, okay? Hear me out first."_ Sugawara reasons, explaining what he has in mind. It's close to what Tobio wants to do. Without telling Sugawara, he regards the plan as second-rated. Plan B of sorts. The odds are in his favour, nonetheless. He knows exactly what to do. Seeing the plan in front of his eyes unfold like the stretch of a horizon above the clouds. He doesn't go against Sugawara in words, just managing to not oppose him openly.

 _"Kageyama, hey! I had to beat Ryuu here, and Daichi-san is taking care of him now. But hey, good to know you're still alive and going. I'll keep it short. There's a change of winds coming, which can speed you up if you follow my directions,"_ Nishinoya chimes in calling out altitude and longitude. It's a sheer miracle that Nishinoya didn't even suggest lightning the gang up with a few bolts. It just stresses how tense this situation is making all of them. Nishinoya's directions are clear, almost mathematical. Tanaka is still voicing a plan to let him in on the action, which is disregarded by both Sawamura (scolding) and Sugawara (laughing). After a while, Tsukishima's voice returns to the call. 

_"I know which plane they're going to take and when. They leave at sunset. If you'd be smart, you could even take a breath for, I don't know, maybe the rest of the day. Or come to us._

Shaking his head, Tobio knows what’s about to come. Sawamura and Ukai might have been able to keep the team at bay from charging straight into danger, but at last, they make their voices heard. Tobio is not surprised when it’s not Hinata, but Yamaguchi who demands an explanation. 

_”Can you explain again why you’re still out there alone while we’re all huddled in this metal box?”_ Yamaguchi starts, and Tobio hears Kuroo’s faint indignity being ignored. _”You’re not the only certified hero, and I have done just as much work as you. I don’t see why you have to do it all alone.”_

“I’m not alone,” Tobio tries to explain, but knows that the mere idea of them so close doesn’t equal them being right next to him for battle. He pinches his nose. Fatique makes his fuse short, and if this would have been Hinata, he might has lost his cool already. But Yamaguchi was unlike any of them; someone who rose rank in school, from general studies to the hero course. He got his license later than Kageyama and Hinata, but he’s strong.

“None of you know what we’re dealing with. This organization will stop at nothing. They have planned this for long and even had... agents of their own choosing within our midst. They’re beyond dangerous,” Tobio says, hearing the edge of Sugawara’s smile and Yamaguchi’s scoffing. A double-teamed argument in the making. He doesn’t have the heart to listen to it. “You know how they caught me? With advanced technology. Not just a cage to keep a bird; I was taken down from the sky as steel wrapped around my wings, and electricty shots ran through. I couldn’t—for the longest time I couldn’t sense any of my feathers, and I couldn’t fly.”

His voice gets raw from talking, and Tobio remembers having taken a water bottle from Sakusa’s fridge earlier. He unbuckles it from his back, listening to the silence on the other end. After siping water, he closes his eyes for a last appeal. “I don’t want anything to happen to any of you. These criminals want me, alive.”

He hears Ennoshita talk to Sawamura in the background, how that would be all the more reason to work together. Ease runs over Tobio’s tired spine when Sawamura rejects that notion. After a while, the phone changes hands again, and Tsukishima’s voice comes through.

_”I'll wire the information to your helmet. Thank me later."_

This time, for sure, Tobio would thank him. Maybe even buy him a present for his birthday and embarrass him. That way, Tobio would get something out of it too.

With this team at his back, Tobio knows he is unbeatable. 

 

*

 

They were allowed to eat and drink, but not speak. Whenever the black half-masks came off, a dozen guns were aimed at the twin’s head. 

Eating in silence, some of the worst foods Atsumu ever came to know, he watches as the trucks roll in, yakuza flunkies free to walk and talk big. Sakusa’s authorization got them as far as having a plane ready to go, but Osamu had to pull bigger strings in having half the Ikuta-kai and their belongings lounging in the airport hangar. 

At least no one got killed during the stunt. Osamu’s quirk sometimes combined with Chiba’s sleeping gas were a fine weapon to gain access to the hangar. There were hostages behind them, now asleep. Atsumu would sigh if he wasn’t afraid of a bullet. Swallowing the horrible food, he glances at Osamu.

No one had been punished, yet. But they also haven’t seen Asato for the entirety of the day. He’d roll in at the last minute.

Atsumu wasn’t sure what kind of hell he had to endure. He could only hope that this wouldn’t be the last sunset for him and Osamu to gaze upon.

 

*

 

Above him, plane after plane leaves and comes. The sounds of it settle into a rhythm in his head. Tobio pays them no mind, eyes only on one little plane right in front of him. Flat on his stomach with one of Tsukishima’s portable hologram shields set up to make it look like the building he’s hiding behind is a little wider, Tobio watches the plane being loaded with cargo. His visor zooms in, but he cannot find the identical twins anywhere. 

When he reaches out, the feather is equally elusive. He feels a barrier of sorts, pushing back. Quirk-erasing prowess in villain hands didn’t bode well, but it didn’t shake Tobio out of his plan either. As long as he has wings, he can use them. They might not self-heal, but Tobio takes it in stride.

His stomach sinks a bit when he watches crates go from hand to hand. They have a black feather printed upon. Tobio knows they’re empty. Knows they are supposed to hold whatever the villains would have taken. But the lab was far away, and the villains seem to be out of time to hunt for Tobio at the moment. 

Behind him, the sun’s last warm breath settles on his neck. The plane, hangar, and tarmac glow in it’s heat. October is still a cold month, but for a moment, Tobio can close his eyes and think of better times, of gentler hours. He remembers Atsumu’s numerous kisses on his neck.

His stomach sinks even lower at the unbidden thought.

 _Focus. In, out. Flying all the way. Routine hero work._ The only difference was he wasnt going into a building, or having safe land below his feet. 

He would hijack this plane before take-off.

 

*

 

The pain blinds his eyes. Even when Atsumu closes his, white light flashes over his lids. He cannot press his lips together as the pain would intensify, and so he keeps his jaw slack. Blood splashes from his face when he sobs, when he takes breathe. But he doesn’t beg. 

“You know the rules, Atsumu. One brother misbehaves, the other gets it. But we know full well that you orchestread that little spiel with Crow’s escape. We need Osamu to create some of those cute little CDs of his, to ensure work in Tokyo can start without a hitch, so no harm can come to him. Yet. Your father remains safe and sound where he is, but is too far to distribute any sort of the harm I wish to inflict,” Asato says without much love, as if he ever had some left for them. “But you? You don’t need to speak for the rest of the remaining flight.”

Asato nods to the man with the knife fingers, Atsumu’s blood spilling off all eight irregular shaped blades. Looking up, Atsumu’s blinding pain brings tears to his eyes. Then Yamamura positions himself behind him again, pulling him up and holding Atsumu in a headlock.

[“Look away.”]

{“Never. Your pain is my pain. We share it, remember?”} Whatever Osamu wants to say to keep Atsumu’s mind occupied drains away as the cutting restarts. He can’t even cry out, not with his chin held by Yamamura. When Osamu wants to Switch, Atsumu won’t let him.

Just the thought that Tobio got away keeps Atsumu sane as his mouth and tongue have to deal with the knives. 

 

*

 

The sun bids its final goodbye. Lights of the airport become more pronounced. 

_”So you found your helmet huh, Kageyama? I don’t know what kind of hazardous crazy bullshit they teach you heroes in that school you’ve come from, but under no circumstance are you going to do anything stupid.”_ Sakusa sneers over the phone, which Tobio has put on speaker. It’s good to know Sakusa is alive and well enough to offer command, but Tobio has no time for this. _”I have your senior superior on the line, since Ukai Keishin isn’t fucking picking up the goddamn phone.”_

Tobio grins, hearing Ukai release smoke through the comms. A second later, his grandfather sounds over Sakusa’s connection.

 _”Listen, brat, as you don’t seem to understand hierachy. I retired. I lead nothing. As that, I also know of nothing. My grandson might be out drinking beer with his buddies and doesn’t want to be disturbed on his one free night a week. Now leave me equally alone. Whatever Kageyama’s doing, if it’s to save lives, you have no right to stop him. Good evening,”_ Ukai Ikkei hangs up without listening to Sakusa, who keeps silent for long.

“You don’t have the manpower or any kind of sway to stop that plane, do you, Sakusa?” Tobio asks, knowing the way of things. Surely they could let them fly to Tokyo and apprehend them there. But surely the criminals would put up a fight and threaten civilians. Once it’s up in the air, it’s dangerous. 

_"I hate my job. Why am I doing this?"_ Tsukishima asks, and Tobio can hear the familiar snicker of Yamaguchi, the touch of hand on fabric. 

_"Because Kageyama needs us, and you're the only one who can do this."_ The line to Sakusa breaks, and Tobio knows Sakusa won’t be able to make anyone do anything. He and Komori are under protection, and Komori is still out of commission. 

_”Kage—Crow, they’re leaving a couple of yakuza behind. Armed. Be careful,”_ Yamaguchi says, his voice eager. He wants to join the action. 

Meanwhile, Sugawara tries one last time to reason with him. _”Kuroo can transform this truck and we can help. Maybe you could take the twins off the track, one at a time.”_ But that idea seems pointless. Tobio’s skin turns cold as he watches men and women dressed in black walk towards the plane. There’s a couple of quirk users, but not a lot. They move under the cover of the dark. 

Among them, still muzzled, and thoroughly manhandled, are the twins. Tobio can feel his feather move, knows who is Atsumu and who is Osamu. There’s guns at their back, and no kind words of anyone around them. Atsumu struggles, and one of the yakuza turns to kick his gut. He bends over, but his hair is ripped up to watch as another man holds a gun against Osamu’s head. 

They’re not going willingly. Tobio sharpens the radius of his microphone, able to pick up what’s being said. “Didn’t you have enough, Atsumu? Do you really want Osamu to suffer the same fate... now be nice and fucking walk!” Tobio watches, his emotions swirling, as the twins are being led up the gangway. When his visor zooms in, he can see that Atsumu’s eyes are red and puffy above the mask. And there’s bloodstains on his clothes.

Clothes he picked up from the hotelroom floor just yesterday.

"Sorry Suga-san. I think there's only plan A." He shuts off comms, then walks back. He will need all the running speed to stay low before taking flight. Once everyone is in, the plane starts its engines, rolls forward, and turns so it’s nose points to the long way of the runway. With it’s tail pointed to Tobio, they’re giving him the best possible oppurtunity. He taps his fingers to his helmet. “Comms off. I need to concentrate. I will see you at the meeting point.”

‘Team,’ he thinks without saying, his wings bristlings. Not fully recovered, Tobio runs forward, wings stretching. He may never caw like a crow, but the villains will hear a much more threatening sound in just a few moments.

 

* 

 

Atsumu wonders what it felt like not being held caption. Feet bound tighter than by the police, at least they’re not in the way. Forearms bound behind their backs, sitting in the plane seats becomes a struggle of unpleasantness. The lights flicker out, and he hears an appreciative ‘Aaah’ from Baba, whose heavyset body creaks against the back of Osamu’s chair. 

At least the twins are side by side, with no one in front of them holding up guns or knifes. Atsumu’s tears stopped falling before boarding. The engine is loud, giving him a headache. His entire head doesn’t feel right, as he keeps swallowing bile and blood back down. İn the end, he allowed Osamu to Switch in, when the pain had become too much. No one noticed, as Osamu had been shaking before, and Atsumu kept shaking in his body without a peep. 

The plane rolls forward, the engine coming more and more alive. Osamu sits back, unable to find any sort of comfort. When Atsumu looks to the window, he sees his reflection; his or his brother’s, he cannot be sure of anymore. Beneath the muzzle, pain continues to drive him mad.

There’s a black streak besides the window. Atsumu’s body shake with an inappropiate laugh, thinking that maybe a small bird— a crow — would fly into the turbine and crash their plane before it starts. Chiba hits him in the head over his own seat behind Atsumu. The touch is almost soft compared to what his mouth feels like. 

They’re gaining speed, ready for take off, when a loud noise bang against the door. Osamu’s head turns, his brows drawn together. Atsumu watches the walkway, dark during take off, lit with a thin ice blue line on either side. The bang repeats, louder than the first.

And then the door slams into the back of the plane, a figure entering.

The plane takes off, but Atsumu’s stomach drops for entirely different reasons. Wind enters the cabine, and a couple of black feathers float inwards.

“I have heard you’re interested in my wings,” Tobio says, stepping over the broken door. He uses his wings to balance himself as the plane flies up and up, its occupent shocked to say the least. “May you wish to acquaint yourself to them up close and personal, I invite you to step forward to do so.” 

Safety straps release, and Knifehands runs forward. He’s knocked out before a blade makes it to Tobio. Chiba yells, and the commotion is overwhelming. They yell taunts at Tobio, a bird with a bird brain, who cannot take down an entire airplane by himself. In its midst, Tobio stays calm and secure. Atsumu knows what he is; not a just a bird, but a Crow, enhanced by metal within a bird made of steel. In the sky no less, Tobio fights without trouble, breaking the ranks of flunkies the bosses secured for this flight. The top brass disappear towards the cockpit. The flunkies lie on the floor in broken and bleeding pieces. 

“Guess they’re more than you bargained for?” Tobio says beneath his half helmet, it’s visor flashing red. From the other side of the plane reign gunshots, the sounds of the bullets sickening Atsumu’s stomach. Asato yells a last command, then his voice fades to nothing. There’s only one possible reason; parachutes. Yamamura and Baba stay behind, pushing a protesting Chiba out. Tobio becomes a black streak racing to them, but Atsumu cannot see what happens. Fear has him biting his botto lip, and then white hot pain surges through him.

{“Look,”} says Osamu, and Atsumu opens his eyes. Baba lies in a heap, Yamamura draped over him. They’re unconsious. From the toilet rushes a youth with more yelling power than brain. Tobio comes forth out of Atsumu’s blind spot, making quick work of the last possible flunkey on board. He can break any man with or without a quirk like a twig. Tobio’s mighty black wing strike the head, the visor looking down as the person falls.

Tobio steps over the wreckage of bodies, his knees bending, counter-balancing the take off and turns. He moves when the plane moves. Two fingers on his helmet, he tells someone who is listening that Asato and Chiba fled with two more yakuza at their backs. He kicks Baba to make sure he’s unconsious, then turns to the twins. 

At last the black visor gazes upon them as if just now noticing they’re here. Atsumu doesn’t know what he’d say if a single word could leave his mouth. Nothing seems significant enough to say in these extraordinary turn of events.

Tobio fingers are once more at his helmet. Atsumu’s eyes travel down to see a ruin of scars, not yet healed by a feather. They took out his foremost way of communicating. Mouth moving, the words are whispered too low for Atsumu to hear. Half a minute later, the plane changes course. There’s more yelling from the cockpit, but Tobio pays them no mind. He turns on his heel, ripping open one side of the plane. Air rushes in from two sides that shouldn’t have ever be broken. 

Then he’s up in the air, his crow feet out and in force. Atsumu sees their glint flash before his eyes, but they grope behind him. His seat gets a shaken, then ripped. Thankfully not to fall on his face, he finds himself bouncing once, but on his ass. He cannot see behind him, but hears the same noises, and Osamu’s seat coming free. 

“One after the other. Enjoy a small flight first, Miya-san.”

Atsumu doesn’t know what to expect when flies him towards the tail of the plane where he entered. But when he looks over the lights of Osaka, the depth and darkness of Osaka bay his heart twists.

This is death, as sure as hell. Tobio saved him just to destroy Atsumu himself. Sitting at the edge of the broken door, Atsumu closes his eyes. The night sky too covered with clouds, the winds chilly and biting his face. They’re losing altitude, his stomach done with being afraid.

Until Tobio kicks him out of the plane.

 

He can’t even scream. The drop is mindnumbing, the pain in his mouth overbearing. Atsumu turns once in the air, seeing in that splitsecond the black winged figure above him, carrying out Osamu in much the same fashion.

Tobio spirals in a sharp descend, streaks of black on both sides, and Atsumu feels sick to the stomach. Then he lurches for the third time that night, and a more steady course. Osamu’s seat knocks against his, and the beating of wings turns to a glide through the dark. Atsumu watches as they fly below Osaka, towards the city he recognizes at Sakai. In the horizon, mountains rise up, and before Atsumu can wonder about the destination, Tobio enters his descend. 

There’s a clearing, black steel reflecting of small lights he cannot see its source from. A threatening breeze hushes through the woods circling the clearing as Tobio’s wings beat into a landing, dropping the twins first.

Then a voice as deep as earth comes from the woods. A voice Atsumu has never heard in person, but only heard rumours of from Kita. A voice, rumour has it, that could split mountains and the earth.

"No wrong moves. Nod if your understand."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH. HELL. YES. 
> 
> I honestly??? have been looking forward to write the plane scene for AGES. I was so pumped writing it ;w; there were some complications I had to figure out but I HOPE I didn't overlook a single thing~~!!
> 
> Hope everybody enjoyed it! AND ALL OF YOU WHO DIDNT EVEN THINK KAGEYAMA WOULD FREE HIMSELF??? Here's to you. I was cackling reading the comments but also thinking 'Kageyama Tobio is a strong, independent gay boy. he can handle this!! with the power of (lost???) love'.


	7. Uncovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Under glaring artificial light, facing a team of black, Atsumu and Osamu grapple with the truth. Can they really trust Kageyama Tobio's associates? Most of them don't think Miya Atsumu and his twin brother have any right to ask for it, or anything else from Kageyama. Yet the twins have a past and a person they care deeply about. Someone they need to be safe before they themselves can walk into the dangers that come from speaking openly.
> 
> After the loaded couple of days and nights Kageyama and Miya have gone through, they come to a standstill. Both of them don't know where their road will lead, nor if it has ended yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, everyone sit back, take a breather. Have some tissues, a hot beverage and maybe a piece of chocolate ready. 
> 
> This was one of the first chapters I actually 'finished' during my first start up drafts. I had this one done (back then to at least 95%) before even having the first two chapters :D As I processed the story in the last couple of months, I had to tweak it to fit, but most of it was good to go. I also didn't plan to have a chapter where everyone can take a breathe and be stationary for once, in between the hot action mess I threw them all in. 
> 
> There's been a couple of people asking about the promised osahina. AGAIN, they won't feature in this fic as an on the nose ship. They will get their entire stand alone adventure one day~ But but but, there's a hint to their rough beginnings. To all those who do not ship osahina, rest assured that there's nothing to worry about.  
> For those few who do ship it and who have been waiting... there's a few good interactions between the two~!
> 
> Also also also (copy text from ch. 2 where i made the edit w) The wonderful [Zero](https://twitter.com/zerojima) created this after working hard on zine entries~ [Please look at this gorgeous piece ](http://zerodollar.tumblr.com/post/174188160764/shelter-x-a-belated-chapter-2-art-for-worse) (and make sure to like/reblog on tumblr my loves!)
> 
>  **[[[Edit:]]]** SO UHM. when I accidentally published this chapter after adding the links to aforementioned artwork, I thought 'oh well no biggie. its Friday anyway'  
>  I just found through a colleague (I asked him why he's not off praying... since its Friday... ahh) that it is still Thursday 8D So yeah~ Happy early release I guess???
> 
> But the next chapter will be updated on Saturday, so have fun with the wait also Ψ( ●｀▽´● )Ψ

He lands in a clearing with the steel truck behind him. When he puts them down, Tobio removes what strapped them to the seat. His friends in the trees bustle, but stay hidden as per his request. In the highest tree, he can feel electricity building, wishing to be discharged Daichi's voices rumbles forward, rising the earth under the twins seat.

"No wrong moves. Nod if your understand." They both nod, Atsumu slower and less secure. his eyes are on Tobio always. It unsettles Tobio, how much he wants to run from this. How much he cares. How his heart stutters as Atsumu's wide eyes, interrupted by a few stray hairs that fall over his lids, give him a million mile stare. It unmakes him. Nothing of this felt right. The entire scene he watched before, as the twins were forced on the plane at gunpoint...

A yellow charge with orange edges appears next to him within a second.

"Readings say they can talk but the quirk is deactivated from the nice little muzzles they're wearing," Nishinoya's voice speaks low besides Tobio. He holds two fingers below his ear, at the same place here Tobio's communication devices used to be. When Nishinoya's moods strike him, his voice rumbles with a crackle of thunder. His sharp eyes hone in on the twins, then solely on Atsumu. The thorn to everyone here.

"Got anything wise to say, dumbskull?"

The reply comes from the other twin. Osamu gives a single nod, his eyes on Tobio, so unlike Atsumu's. Through the barrier, Osamu whispers a warning.

"Don't startle." 

Nishinoya huffs, summoning lightning between his fingertips. They're the most minuscule little veins. Holding his hand between the two, he allows the baby lightnings to strike the muzzles. Osamu removes his, hands slow as to not to alarm his surroundings. Tobio's eyes go to Atsumu, whose arms are behind his back, not intending to do anything about the mouthpiece on his lower face. 

Tobio kneels in front of Atsumu, whose shoulders slump, his brows for a moment relieved. They stare at each other, enough to make the woods around them edgy. There's another noise of thunder, but Nishinoya reigns himself in as much as Tobio needs him to. There's too much on Tobio's mind; things he needs to say, conflicting, contradicting words that would make no sense once he starts talking. He reaches for Atsumu's shackles first, keeping the tremble in his hands to a minimum as their bodies lean close. Atsumu doesn't push it; he found a limit, a boundary he cannot cross. 

"Be careful," A voice neither of the twin should be able to recognize calls out from the woods. Tsukishima used his technological advances to change Ennoshita's voice. Osamu scans the area, as they're surrounded by light, unable to find the source. Tobio knows where they all are. A circle of friends, some on edge, others stock still. 

Bracing himself as his hands reach behind Atsumu's neck, ever so slow as Tobio removes the muzzle. No warning could have prepared him, but Tobio keeps his heart and hands still, his body not reclining from the sight. Atsumu's lips are scarred, marred by knife cuts that form lines across his mouth. They look too clean to be recent, as if they were years old wounds long since healed. Impossible.

"One of the guys in the deployment of our bosses has blade fingers. Once cut, they take in blood and heal the flesh. Should have been a doctor like that guy in your hero agency. Chose the other side instead 'cus his fingers aren't scalpels or tools. It's why it looks that way," Osamu offers, his gentle tone meant for both his brother and for Tobio, who cannot take his eyes off the gruesome act borne on Atsumu's mouth. Lips he's kissed not so long ago. Muzzle forgotten by his side, Tobio takes Atsumu's face in his hands, feeling the shudder that goes through him on contact. Whatever negative thoughts Tobio harboured for Atsumu are momentarily gone. 

_"You have to believe me."_

"They knew he told you when you fled," Osamu says at last, looking away. "They should have gone for me but... they knew it was 'Tsumu." 

Fearing the worst, Tobio's thumb caresses over Atsumu's bottom lip, taking in all the cuts that run far below it. Atsumu's eyes do not falter, do not show any sign of wetness in them. They must hurt from staring so long, that it touches Tobio in a place he thought he'd sealed forever again. Employing the smallest bit of pressure, he press his thumb unto Atsumu's chin, gently pulling. Atsumu's jaw goes slack, allowing Tobio the look he feared. _"However bad it will look"_ crosses Tobio's mind again, the desperation becoming his own as his heart could hardly take the sight of it.

Pain throbs under his ear, where he's been cut open twice in the past 48 hours. Neither of them were coming out of this unscarred.

"The asshole got a couple of cuts in before Atsumu started spitting and... chocking on the blood. I think they—well they tried..." Osamu says without looking, and Tobio cannot take the sight of Atsumu's tongue a moment longer. He doesn't need the communicator in his neck as he knows the person he needs is on stand-by and closest to them. Tobio's head stays in place, not turning.

"Narita-san, I think 50 milliliter should do it." 

The trees rustle in disagreement, but forth comes Narita, holding a small ampule. "...Why would you even consider this, Kageyama? He deserves to suffer."

From all the hot and cold emotions that ran like a roller-coaster into the sky and down in hell, Tobio feels the most distanced, the most disassociated with himself, as ice pierces his veins. He feels venom spill over his lips before he can give his words a second thought. Narita voices the opinion of the entire team, but he's the one right here, right now, infuriating Tobio's already stretched thin sanity.

"I give, and I give, I give until it actually hurts, then give more to make sure it's enough. Hinata needed feathers and I gave them without thinking, hurting already. I gave you even more to restore your supplies. I had to take so many breaks returning from that flight. Had to take a day to restore myself. I was taken, my wings _fried_ , and still had to fly. I couldn't even heal myself as I was afraid I wouldn't heal! And still I do my duty to protect the people from harm. But when I ask some back, you tell me _no_?" Tobio holds out his hand, feeling his entire being tight and angry, but silent and unmoving at once. Narita hands him the liquefied feathers in a tube. Tobio opens it, eyes off Atsumu.

"What he deserves and what not is for me to decide, and nobody else." 

Preparing himself is futile, as he won't be physically not ready. He pushes the fluid over his lips, holding it in his mouth, then pulls Atsumu forward for a kiss. It's the weirdest sensation, running his wet tongue over Atsumu's, feeling the cuts before they heal away. The liquid sloshes past his mouth, as intended. Tobio licks it past Atsumu's marred skin, deepening the kiss once more. He holds Atsumu's face still while the kiss weakens, letting his fingers smear the fluid over the corners of the slowly healing mouth. Leaning back, Tobio makes sure the mutilation is gone as if it hadn't been there.

Once the last scar disappears, Tobio cannot fathom what has come over him. Pushing himself away angry at himself, he huffs, using the sleeve of his suit to clean the residue clinging to his lips. The smallest of smiles hints at Atsumu's mouth corners.

He even opens them, trying to say Tobio's name.

Tobio's hand slaps lightning fast, as sudden as an unknown storm, and louder still, across the just healed face. The shaking rage and the cold calm switch and give him whiplash, but Tobio holds firm. He watches Atsumu's face turned to the side, half of it red from the slap. 

"My forgiveness isn't earned so easily." Tobio's voice is light, and he turns away from the twins, not looking at anyone close by. For a moment, no one dares to speak, not even Sawamura. It's as if they're afraid they'll set off Tobio's rage. 

"Ah," Osamu calls out, and Tobio glances at him as he observes the truck's side, where Tobio's hero agency's crow emblem cuts out smoothly.

"We're going to prison, aren't we? Just like Sakusa promised," Osamu asks, his face turned away from Atsumu, who Tobio can't look at right now.

"...Depends," Kageyama says, still not trusting his throat to spill too many words, not trusting his legs to carry him further. 

"On what?" Osamu request, standing up when Sawamura moves the earth under his feet to motion him so.

"On what you're about to tell us." Sawamura melts from the shadows, giving Atsumu a single nod to make him get up too. He leads the small party towards the truck, and the trees stop rustling at once. Light after light switches off around the clearing, following footsteps and people going between trees or from them. Soon the clearing becomes a solid black mass under the moonlight and stars, who do not much for light. 

"You came for me," Atsumu says after a lifetime, rubbing the burning side of his face. Gutting Tobio as he speaks, who hardens himself against whatever comes next. His torso feels shaky from bringing the twins here, and his legs would prefer not to stand at all. But a hero's conviction beats out any qualms of rest.

"I came for answers," he replies simply, watching the shadowy forms of Nishinoya and Narita walk ahead and towards the steel truck. He might not be ready, but at least he won't be alone.

 

*

 

When they walk to the truck that shines like steel, Atsumu's feet come to a stand still when light starts shifting and shivering over it. From the top cascading to the bottom and all around to the front, he notices the faint hum of reflection panels. A matte black. The colour of the crows. 

"More like a murder," Osamu whispers next to him, having read his mind. The shadows in the trees are silent, and Atsumu notices footprints in front of truck. Double doors open in the back, extending a ramp where the footprints end. Sawamura holds them still, waiting. The truck fills and moves, but not a sound comes them. True discipline in the light of what any of them would want to do to the twins. Atsumu has a feeling of who he will have to face. And Sawamura wants it to be sooner rather than later, giving them a push forward.

The light inside isn't blinding, but Atsumu feels his neck freeze over with sweat of fear. He might have thought that Sawamura would have contacted Kita and Ojiro, or anybody else from Hyougo. But none of them were here; not a relieving thought. After everything, there still were things to be afraid of.

Such as the people Tobio calls his family. 

He receives a gentle nudge in his spine to move forwards. When Atsumu does, Osamu follows into the lion's den made of metal and black. 

"Don't be shy now, you two. Cover's blown, a mess made." A rough voice rumbles from the front of the truck. Atsumu's more concerned how once he they all enter, the doors close behind them, seamlessly so. The twins take in the crowd situated at the front half of the truck, where smoke covers the face of the voice that called them out. It circles up and up, then faster and away into a vent. 

Ukai Keishin has the friendliest face of the angry mob, which says something. He looks so much alike his grandfather, who even the Hyougo twins have heard rumors about. Rumours about a flock of hungry crows doing his bidding. Atsumu isn't sure if they didn't mean the heroes under his, now Ukai Keishin's, supervision. They clearly look the omnivorous part. A line up that would have any villain think twice about pissing off. 

{"Why did we think that all of them were harmless as long as they stayed in Miyagi?"} Osamu wonders out loud in Atsumu's head. 

Avoiding the gaze, Atsumu looks up to see what makes this alloy cage so bright; LED lights go from corner to corner, and everything inside is made of steel. Silver in contrast to the outside matte black. Some of Tobio's friends and colleagues sit on square benches, and to his right there's a small gallery where all the technology is stored. Tobio blocks off the way to the ladder up, and Atsumu can see a blemish. Focusing his gaze as no one else addresses them yet, Atsumu sees once more the angry pink lines under Tobio's ear. 

He presses his now scarless mouth together, finding something poetic in the moment. For once, Atsumu has the sense not to make a snarky comment. 

"How much longer?" Ukai asks without taking his eyes off the twins. From the gallery, a bored voice answers.

"Couple of minutes. It's a looot of work I have to do all of a sudden and the presence of villains isn't helping my mood." A blond, seemingly lanky guy answers from behind a set of screens. Then the room fills with the fast typing done on the gallery. Atsumu glances around once more, not finding it easier.

He recognizes everyone in the room. Not by the data or the files, but of the things Tobio had told him about each and every individual. His second year senpai line a box bench to the left, and the older female Shimizu sits with them, laptop in her lap. Right in front of them, squat in the middle, Ukai smokes. His sides flanked by the three senpai Tobio looks up to.

Sawamura joined in at last. There's a guy whose hair is slightly brighter in colour than Osamu's, to the platinum side. Towering over them both is Glass Heart, a hero Atsumu had always wanted to test his powers against. Until tonight. The Jesus hair hung wild around him, framing his angry looking face. None of the heroes wear their usual costumes or masks, nothing of the extras. Stripped to black, as they were, Atsumu couldn't help but feel the watch of predators on him and Osamu.

On the right side just below the gallery stands a small orange blur, Tobio's chosen rival and once upon a time partner. Atsumu didn't know the details, but Hinata had either transferred hero offices or worked for both alternating... Last Atsumu heard of was that Hinata had been in a rehabilitation center after facing a near-death. In front of him sits the younger, blond girl who was said to carry a lot of kindness. Her small eyes are angry slits directed Atsumu's way, unforgiving. She wears a white surgical mask, being nearest to Ukai and on his level.

At the gallery, Atsumu is looked down upon by others of Tobio's age. The blond bespectacled guy finishing off a sentence at last, and behind a humming computer, surrounded by even more tech, a hero by the name of Spear-point. The spear is nowhere to be seen, but that doesn't give much comfort giving that the ahoge guy could create spears from his arms. 

Ukai takes out the butt of his cigarette, pointing the burning end at him.

"I want you to realize that you're in the presence of people who hate your guts. Personally, I think we should hand you over to the police and see that you get the punishment you deserve, however..." Ukai's eyes drift to Tobio, who stands right behind Atsumu. "Someone made a case for you and your brother, and given that we're angry but not heartless, we'll listen."

"Also know that if Miya Osamu opens his mouth the wrong way, we're plenty to shut him up." Sawamura says, his arms crossed. Osamu and Atsumu nod at the same time, slow as to not agitate the already pissed off crowd. Atsumu has an inkling of who Sawamura really is, but the day's terrors cease the thought away for now. Tobio certainly didn't spend a lot of time talking about him.

{"They're more afraid of me than you. Fancy that."}

["Not the goddamn time, 'Samu."]

After a lifetime, Tobio speaks, his eyes drawn to the computers. "Are we safe here?" 

"Do I ever tell you how to fly, your moron?" Tsukishima Kei says, his glasses alight from the led and the computer screen. "I think not. Of course we're safe. Shields up and no one who'd even think to come looking for us would be able to find a hair." 

Shimizu's silky voice rises from behind the vanishing cloud of smoke, nodding down as she taps on her tablet. "Untraceable. All search parties are headed into the cities, surrounding Osaka bay, and scanning the air for Kageyama. No one saw him leave when he did. Sakusa and Komori are still at the hospital, being kept up to date to the action on Kansai International Airport."

"What _is_ the most up to date version, anyway?" Someone with rather sleek-combed hair says. Atsumu used to make fun of guys who had a nerd look about him, and this one fit the bill. He wore the same black on black ensemble, but Atsumu could see that his pullover had a dark grey stripe pattern to it. _'Ennoshita-san always wears striped shirts... I think Nishinoya once tried to buy him anything but. Didn't work out well.'_

All eyes look onto Shimizu.

"...The Nekoma team had to retreat from the wreckage... Tsukishima's barrier is hiding it from side, but the heaviest parts have sunken into the water. It all happened just before Nekoma was able to carefully crash-land it in the water. Kozume-san said the explosion went off inside the belly of the plane. Possible self-destruct. Either they're so loyal or cowards; they would rather died than face consequences. Or someone else pulled that trigger to leave no loose ends," Shimizu says through a mask of calm, reading the report. She taps the screen, swipes it right.

"Simultaneously, a couple of other explosions happened; the old Ikuta-kai hideouts, two trucks on the road to Tokyo, close to Nagoya, and the hangar Kageyama observed hours earlier. Casualties range is hard to determine, but forensics assume at least 50 dead, none wounded. The police force was on sight for all of the explosions except the plane one. Nekoma will alert them shortly through a tip where to find the plane." Then she looks up to the twins, as everyone else does. Gauging a reaction.

They do not show it.

{"Do we believe them? It could be a trap to get us to talk."}

["As long as Asato is still out there... but he doesn't have the numbers anymore. I... I don't know, 'Samu.] Atsumu does not feel remorse, and the absence of it echoes from Osamu's side. They didn't have friends in the Ikuta-kai. But it meant that Baba and Yamamura died too. They would never be punished for their crimes. Atsumu scoffs. "I grieve them the privilege to side-step their sentences..."

"Because now you cannot put the blame on them, you mean?" Ennoshita says, arms crossed and eyes unfriendly. Atsumu doesn't know much about Ennoshita or his quirk. But he believes it's best to stay quiet with the odds of a possible 16 against 2. Two man flanking Sawamura converse lightly, shaking their heads. 

"No point thinking about what we don't have in our possession for questioning. As long as we're off the grid, we have time to hear these two out," Ukai grunts, his eyes not once leaving Atsumu. "Its time to talk."

Osamu is the first to speak, his eyes travelling between Ukai, Sawamura, and the girls as he speaks. "I am sure if anything... bad would have happened to Sakusa and Komori, we might not be standing here in this lovely presence. But I was wondering..." Osamu's eyes train themselves on Sawamura. "Any news of Kita-san and Aran-san?"

To this, Sawamura releases a breath they cannot hear. He glances at Shimizu, who looks down to her tablet. She shows whatever she could find to him. After a careful consideration, Sawamura looks back at the twins.

"Ojiro sustained a wound to the head when you two were broken free from police custody. Komori was able to cover him and Sakusa, but pieces of the ceiling bounced on them. He's been in the hospital during the day, released a couple of hours ago. Took the first train back to Kobe. No other news besides that. As for Kita, he tried contacting me, same as Sakusa. The Crow Agency follows a radio silence code not to tell anyone our current location, given our current troubles." Sawamura's eyes from this distance seem like pitiless black holes. Whereas Kita's are wide and of a light colour, their qualities are mostly the same; soul-staring, disruptive eyes that could draw fear from the observed. 

"Kita is not out for vengeance, not as Ojiro might be who has put together a team to find you two. He wants the truth, and deserves it. Alas, we were here first, and our personal involvement might seem shallow to others. Compared to the fact that you worked closely together and pretended to be friends with that team, it probably is." Sawamura finishes, his chin held high. Whatever flashes in those orbs goes out, a sudden spark that said 'I do not care'.

Knowing that what happened to Kita is fresher on Osamu's mind than his, Atsumu nods understanding. At least one itchy predicament is left for another time to be taken care of. ["They're fine. Hurt pride, and a lust to fling us into the nearest ravine, but they're fine."]

{"I am happy they're far removed from us. Not just because of... the consequences."} Osamu nods visibly, allowing the evening's true meaning of their presence to continue. Atsumu sees however, how something catches Osamu's eyes. They veer to the right. 

"You're the Second Sun." 

To Atsumu horror, Osamu's voice carries a hint of challenge. Rolling his eyes, Atsumu watches as anger flares alive on the face of Hinata, Tobio's rival. His best friend. The boy who got almost killed in an accident neither of the twins helped causing, thank god. It's just like Osamu though to single out someone of strength, but not in the same age group. 

"Hell yeah I am. I can burn you to a crisp." The venom leaks, hatred smearing the tone. Atsumu wouldn't have thought that such a small creature, such a good hero and bright star of the east, the good Tobio told him his friend was, was capable of such fierce negative emotions and threats. 

"Easy now, Hinata—" Sugawara starts, but Hinata cuts through.

"Why!? After all they've done." Hinata points as Atsumu, who doesn't shrink away. He deserves this. "After all _he's_ done to our Kageyama."

{"Oh my, 'our'. That must hurt."}

["You have no heart, 'Samu."]

{"At least I didn't give mine away like a stupid fool."}

"Hinata, stop," Tobio groans, pinching his nose. He's taken a step forward and Atsumu can see him better now, seeing the closed eyes and the tired, slumping shoulders. He didn't retract his wings. Atsumu looks at them as the commotion starts. They don't seem worse for wear, but there's an ever so slight tremble. Pain in his heart, Atsumu can see where electrical pods had been discharging now that he looks for them. The wings have a couple of grey-ish imprints on the otherwise blue-black. 

"—and Ennoshita-san's right, we don't need both of them to hear the truth."

"Technically correct. They do say that if you take one brother down, there's still another. And they are of one mind, so." Tsukishima says from behind the computer screen, not looking at the scene unfolding below. His fingers interlace in front of his face, his voice audible behind of the link. "We should at least subdue one of them."

"You touch one of us, the other won't talk." Osamu says, deliberately slow without using his quirk. "If you hurt one of us, the other will lock down. Throw us into prison or make other threats... We've already faced the worst. There's a real danger out there with Asato still at large. We're the only ones that can help destroy it from the inside. And just for your information, _'sunshine kid'_ , we're the ones risking our lives." 

"Osamu," Atsumu tries to warn, but his voice, even without the active quirk, sets everyone on edge. 

"You dare make demands? We're the ones putting _our_ lives and livelihoods on the line for a pair of scumbags." Sugawara, who Tobio had only praise for, steps forward, his face a distorted anger, the same as Hinata's. On him it fits even less than on the other. Feet scrape the perfect smooth metal flooring, shoulders squaring and getting ready for a fight. Atsumu doesn't dare looking anyone in the eye, as he turns on his brother and trying to get Osamu to stand down and make this easier.

"Hey, I'm the one who riles up, remember?" He hisses at Osamu, whose reached a limit of patience to deal with bullshit. Usually, this kind of behaviour is reserved for Atsumu.

When one of the crows, and Atsumu doesn't even see who, comes forward, the truck shakes. Right in front of him is Tobio's left wing. Following it's line, Atsumu stares to a newly formed dent in the wall to their left. Atsumu's breath touches the wing in front of his mouth, and like so many nights in bed, Tobio quivers. His emotions have been razor thin all night, and Atsumu knows its all his fault. 

"Enough." Tobio's voice is so light, so not there. He's once more pinching his nose, a sight Atsumu hasn't quite seen before today. His eyes closed to the scene he doesn't want to see unfold. Tobio's wing stands between the two brothers and his team, his allies, his chosen friends and family. "We have discussed this. I know this isn't easy for anyone here. Please consider how I feel about it." 

The intercom comes to life with a voice neither of the twins recognize. _"And my feelings, while you're at it, Kageyama-kun. That metal is precious to me. No dents please."_

Atsumu looks at the side view of Tobio, touched and feeling bad to the core. He sees the same grey-ish spots marking where the 'cage' struck Tobio. Spots he'd kissed better under any other circumstance. If he'd been allowed even one kiss to give. Chuckling to himself, he sticks his chin out, talking to Tobio. "Told you that your wings are an extension of your emotions. You wear them too casually." 

Tobio's eyes look hurt when he glances at him over his wing. At last he retracts both of them under his suit and skin, a flutter in the sudden silent room. Atsumu feels all eyes on him, but it's changed. There's a shift of people going backwards, giving them more room. Eyes that were moments before filled with rage towards them, (and it's still present), have a kind of new light to them, confusion and... something Atsumu cannot place. Then from the gallery comes Spear-point's voice. 

"Guys, come on. We don't have much time." 'Yamaguchi', as Atsumu remembers him by Tobio's stories, stands up, his hands resting on the railings. "The twins are each other's weak spot but... but in case of Miya Atsumu, his. His is split in the middle. He cares about Kageyama and we—we should at least give him a chance to explain himself. Kageyama deserves that, more than any of us have right to." 

Yamaguchi sits back down, a whisper of 'that is what they both want' lost in the thickness of the room's atmosphere. A few shuffle back and forth, and Atsumu watches a larger part of them sitting, ready to listen. Guards up and engaged. Ukai lights another smoke, gesturing to Shimizu who sits up a little straighter. 

She speaks up. "For the statement, I am recording what you say. So if there's any explanation, please begin." 

Atsumu looks down to his feet. He should have told Tobio. Keep telling the story and not just the start. He repeats it now, hoping he can continue to the end. 

"Our mother died giving birth to us."

"Giving birth to me," Osamu cuts in, his eyes to the room. "Atsumu came out easy, but I was stuck. The doctors tried to cut me out, but I was wedged in wrong. Our mother lost a lot of blood." His eyes look away from everyone, and even as his voice looses volume, the silence in the truck allows it to be heard easily. Atsumu scans the reactions, finding a mixed review of wariness, curiosity, and maybe even heartfelt sympathy. Osamu's voice comes out silent, but can be heard throughout. "I should have died in the womb."

"'Samu," Atsumu tries to make him stop going down that path, but Osamu raises his head and looks past him, right to the mob. They wanted to hear what led a set of brothers down the path of villains and betraying friends made along the way, while plunging the country into the hands of evil-doers. What could possibly be the reason to remain doing so and not alert the authorities. Osamu would let them have it.

"Our mother died an hour later. We were raised by our dad," Osamu says. Atsumu reaches out to him, giving his arm a pat. He would tell the rest now. At uneasy as it makes him. He glances to Tobio once, then focuses on a spot somewhere above Sawamura's head. He feels the tension in the air, knowing everyone is most eager to know. Too much has happened and Atsumu's body is tired from the strain. But Tobio must have gone through more, and he deserves the truth at last.

"Our father is a real bum. Never could stick to a job longer than a week before getting into trouble and getting himself fired. Our mom was the breadwinner of the family. When she died..." Atsumu took a moment to look down, to find the courage he should have somehow inherited from her. He touches the tattoo near his heart, wishing he could pull courage from it.

"Your mother," came the muffled voice behind the mask of Yachi Hitoka. "Was her name—"

"Sakiko. Miya Sakiko. But you'll find her records state her hero name as Azalea. She hid her identity well to keep us safe. Or maybe so no one would find out who she's married to," Atsumu says it with a sad smile, his chest contracting. He and Osamu had mused often that if their mother have lived, they would have been heroes too. Not the fakers and liars they were now. None of this would have happened, because they would have been formed in the ways of their mother. Not with the setbacks of their father.

"Azalea, active from 1980 till 1992. 'The flowery princess of Hyougo'. Her quirk was that she used flowers spores to change the moods of people around her." Shimizu taps away on the computer, able to find all the information she needs before the twins have to confirm it. "She gave birth in 1993 and—And she died in the hospital." 

Both girls in the room seem to the least unshaken by the information, their eyes made of steel. Women in their profession where the same as men; a wrong move, a miscalculation... Death wasn't 'normal', but it happened. Atsumu always knew that females were the stronger sex. They do not seem eager to forgive the twins for choosing the wrong path in life. Shimizu, unmuffled, voices that thought when it crosses Atsumu's mind, regarding them both.

"Doesn't explain why you chose the exact opposite direction of the good she was trying to bring into this world." 

"I was getting to that. Like I said, our father wasn't the best parent to raise us. The money went away fast, and our mother's side didn't want to help him. He was trouble. Our mother had been the only good thing in the world to him, believed in him, tried to set him straight. Without her, he lost his path. He didn't know how to raise two sons without getting himself into trouble again. He borrowed money to send us to school, stole food and clothes for us. When he had to go in front of the judge, he's taken Osamu with him, who was a cry baby... They let him walk once." Atsumu watches Shimizu look up the information, gives a rather silent confirmation of his statement. Then she glances back, motioning him to continue.

"It didn't make him go straight. With our father being who he was, we learned to steal young. Osamu and I learned to charm locks, pick pockets, sustain ourselves throughout the day without paying a single yen. Our dad stole a computer, and instead of playing games like other kids, we taught ourselves how to hack. We had no other role models, no one wanting to be around of us. He didn't teach us to be bad, exactly, but that doing the wrong things for one's own survival was often necessary. Until something far worse came knocking at our door." 

Atsumu's throat thickens, shame washes over him. Osamu tries to do the talking, but Tobio's voice beats him to it.

"Go on," Tobio requests, and Atsumu turns to him. 

"After 11 years of thieving and borrowing money, he managed to get himself in deep with actual criminals. They found out Osamu and I had our mother's gift in smaller portions. And on top of that quirk, we can use telepathy. When our dad couldn't pay bills or his debts, they wanted us. Our quirks were known by then... The school we frequented back then was in the territory of the Ikuta-kai, and some of the flunkies working for them were in the business of finding children with strong or useful quirks. Tag them, find their parents. Have the parents be indebted to the organization so they could borrow the kids. But we weren't meant for a one-time use that might get our dad out of debt. They wanted us for life." Atsumu turns away from Tobio's face, eyes to the ground. When he couldn't speak, Osamu relays the rest.

"...Our father, bad as he is, tried holding his ground against a bunch of assholes who were bigger and tougher than him. He told them, as bold as he could, that the Ikuta-kai would have to kill him before he'd give us away. Make our lives worse for it. We didn't understand much but, being taken away and getting our father hurt, we understood. Atsumu and I... we made a ruckus, loud enough to take out some, but not all. Our quirks were too unrefined. We just wailed and screamed without knowing what to do. In the end... Asato, the boss of the Ikuta-kai, managed to buy off corrupt policemen. Under law, they took our dad and put him in prison. Told us if we didn't do what we were told, they'd hurt him. Send us a finger or a toe for our birthdays."

"The villains won," Atsumu whispers to the ground, which becomes a blur through his eyes. He wants to talk, to make things right with Tobio, to earn his forgiveness and his understanding, even if he won't ever get his trust back. Atsumu tries to speak, but his voice keeps failing him. His emotions might take a run. Osamu picks up the slack, again.

"We were supposed to act as if nothing had happened. We were... 'adopted'. Atsumu and me. Chiba devised a plan to infiltrate a hero agency, and put us on the track to become heroes. As part time jobs, we had to do what they told us. Learned to hack and betray, to keep a cool face under duress. Asato agreed to what he called a '10 year plan'. Infiltrate the heroes side with their own people. They own us, still." Osamu looks away, to the place where Tobio left a dent. It's all smooth.

"The tattoo," Atsumu starts, knowing full well that it has been his downfall. That this space was full of people who had heard how Tobio had found out about his double-life. "We didn't take it willingly. It was forced on us."

The room was silent for a moment. Tobio didn't come closer.

"Would you mind if I fact-check that?" The voice comes unmuffled this time. Atsumu looks up to the little blond girl, who had pushed her facial mask over her chin. Her face weary, her eyes unblinking. Atsumu didn't understand, looking Tobio's way.

"It's not something that I can prove," he tries to tell the room, trying to make Tobio understand that there's limits.

"Yachi-san has a quirk that can," Tobio answers, taking one step back.

"I thought she was good at drawing," Osamu says, a question hinting in his voice. Atsumu's confusion his own. 

"That's not her quirk. She's just good at it." Azumane speaks for the first time, his back against the opposite wall. Atsumu looks at him, at the men who could control certain elements, such as woods and glass. The growth of the clearing was no natural growth, but his doing. When the trees rustled. it was him being threatening. There were a lot of weird hero names out there, but Glass Heart... Atsumu finally understood the meaning of. This guy could be underestimated, but his rugged nature gave off different vibes. Tobio always said that Azumane was kind and careful, sometimes transferring his body through trees and glass by accident or when he was spooked.

Momentarily distracted, Atsumu realizes to late that in a slow, graceful manner, Yachi rises to stand. When his eyes gaze towards her, she walks to the two brothers. Atsumu feels the tension rise as the little young woman walks towards him. He looks from the approaching female to Tobio, and back to her. Yachi has her hand reaching out to him. 

"You have to show me, so I can show everyone else. What went through you when... when you got received." 

"It's not something pleasant." Atsumu is hesitant, his voice falling flat and silent enough for just his twin, Kageyama, and this Yachi person to hear. 

"All the same. If your intentions are true, of which none of us even know what they are, and very doubtful about them... well, it will show," Yachi says, her bare hand up to her chest and ready to reach. Atsumu's eyes turn to Tobio; the rest of the room disappears. He'd love to say his name, but doesn't think the truck can take further damage. Tobio looks back, arms crossed, waiting. Atsumu doesn't know what else to do. He knows complying is the only way. And so turns his side to her, pulling up the hem of his thin black sweater. He hates showing off the tattoo, but its what the heroine wants. She's standing close enough that pushing her arm forward would let her touch him. But Yachi hesitates, her eyes to Tobio.

"It's okay. Go on." Tobio's voice has the same downtrodden sound as before. Atsumu readies himself for the worst when Yachi touches his tattoo. For a second he's afraid that the quirk will show himself, all the years back. He'd rather not relive that... but nothing happens.

The rooms stands still, silent and watching.

Whatever he thought would happen... doesn't. He watches Yachi, confusion levels the same height as before. Then he sees the strain start on her face, her brows furrowing. Suddenly she bends forward holding her stomach with her free hand, screaming. The hand on his tattoo is so still that Atsumu doesn't understand how it belongs to the girl who breaks down in front of him. The room moves, and for a second Atsumu thinks they're going to actually kill him as if he caused this, when the bald guy reaches for Yachi. He pulls her into an embrace, holding her form terrorized by tremors in his arms and against his body. But the hand stays glued onto his skin, as if she cannot remove it.

"Shhh, shhh, it's fine," he says, a voice without edge. Yachi's scream fills the room, a dreadful, painful sound. The baldy's hand goes over her mouth, deafen the screams that continue in his hand. Atsumu stands stock still, a warning not to move going through his veins. He looks up to Tobio, who watches Yachi, to the others. Only Shimizu meets his gaze, shaking her head. He keeps his position. Yachi seems to be in so much pain, crying her wide eyes out, shutting them once or twice. She shakes all over, held upright somewhat by the hard frame of the guy behind her.

Finally understanding rushes through Atsumu. She is a mirror. A mirror of truth that unfolds a memory within her, mirroring the pain and suffering Atsumu went through when he got this cursed tattoo. 

Her hand falls away and she fumbles, but the bald hero holds her steady. When his hand moves away from her mouth, threads of spit fall between. She heaves but doesn't get sick, her body trembling from the aftershock of the memory. The others fuss about her, but Yachi waves them away, her teary eyes glancing up to Osamu. The bald guy wipes away at her mouth, cleaning up her chin before she speaks.

"...You have to come closer to me. I can't... I can't move." 

"Why..?" Atsumu starts to ask, and hears Tobio's soft whisper. 

"Some emotions, images, and... memories can be hard to deal with." Tobio's wings are out once more, one tip gently reaching for Yachi. Whatever soothing it gives, Yachi shudders away from it. She points at Osamu, about a job she first needs to do before she can relax.

Osamu looks from Yachi to Atsumu and then to the room, back to the girl again. "It's on my shoulder," he says dumbfounded. Others urge him forward, their voices mere whispers as Yachi sways unsteady, safe for the baldy's hands resting on her back. 

"Do you want me to stay?" He asks, and Atsumu finally makes the connection. This is Tanaka Ryuunosuke, 'Golden Buddha'. Brother of the heroine Dragonfire. They were the descendants of the very first person with a quirk, which seemed to be inherited mostly down the male line. Atsumu had heard the rumors of what the man whose hands and feet, sometimes entire body including the head would turn to gold. Who could become as big as the Great Buddha statue in Kamakura. He remembers that conversation he had with Tobio about being friends, actual kouhai of such a hero. 

After a lifetime, Yachi turns her head to him and nods, while Osamu crouches in front of her. He lifts the back of his collar up for her to see where his tattoo is. Standing in-between the legs of Tanaka, she reaches the same hand forward and under Osamu's shirt.

Atsumu has a suspicion of what he will see, but it pains him still. Yachi's eyes become at once empty. Her mouth presses together. She's utmost still, where before she was all rage and pain, a screaming mess that didn't stop. Now she's deadly still, twitching at the shoulder only. Silent tears fall down her cheeks, but not a sound comes from her. 

Atsumu closes his eyes, and apologizes to her that she had to feel what they felt, although she asked for it.

 

*

 

The pain is too much. Lying face down on the table, Atsumu grips the top end. His toes curl in pain, and his whole body fights the strong hand keeping him down, inking toxic under his skin, to stay with him forever. When the screaming started, they forced a tasteless leather-band through into his mouth, to bite onto. The tattooist stopped for 10 glorious seconds in which Atsumu's head was hit, and threads were spit into his face.

Then the drilling pain started again. It was so raw and unbearable that Atsumu kept screaming, muffled by the leather strap in his mouth. He cries, too, but no one cares. Once he looks to his side, finding Osamu in a similar position. 

Lying on the same kind of table, Osamu has his arms crossed under his head. Above them, Atsumu sees empty eyes. While the same tattoo finds its way onto his skin; he's not here in the room with him. Not here at all. His eyes are glassy, and so far away. Atsumu curses, wishes he could be where Osamu had gone, somewhere far away in his head. Not that would help; Osamu cries, a lot more silent, but he's still in so much pain.

They're too young for this. They're not even old enough to get their hair bleached...

And it hurts so, _so_ much.

 

*

 

"We were 12," Atsumu says, not seeing the room anymore, suddenly blind to the interior of his surroundings or the staring mob. Their faces become a blur, same as a hint of black going up the ladder and hiding behind the computers. Atsumu's best guess is that Tanaka carried Yachi out of sight.

There is an unshakable cold running over him, and he wishes there was someone to hold him, too. To calm his nerves. When the deed had been done, he and Osamu had held each other all night. Crying themselves to sleep, unable to soothe their other half. "The tattoo... marked us as villains since then. We were told we'd never be heroes, that it would be all a farce." 

Atsumu wants to hide from the bright lit room, from Tobio's burning eyes. He'd felt shame in the past, about who he was, what he was made to be. How he couldn't protect Osamu, how neither of them could help their father. That they had to do as they were told, or face the consequences of adding another parent's death to their conscience. Raised as villains, made to destroy the world their mother had sworn to protect. There had been so many times he wanted to tell Tobio, to explain, to ask for help. He thought he found in Tobio a safe haven, which could extend over him, over Osamu, over their father. 

Looking at the black-clad figure next to him, words failed him yet again. He had nowhere to run too. 

"That's not true." Hinata's voice reaches him first. "Everyone can be a hero. You just have to choose to do the right thing at the right time."

"...Aren't you listening? We didn't have a choice, we never had. Atsumu and I could have talked, all this time. But our father would be hurt or killed. He's still in danger if anyone finds out we are helping you or saying all of this. Asato is still on the loose." Osamu knew this as well as Atsumu, but both of them were 12 year old again, wishing they could do anything to help their father. Wishing they could run away, to get anyone to help them. A child's hope of being saved. Of protection and understanding. Atsumu _had_ found this place in Tobio, for a while. But he blew his chances all to hell. He knew what the kiss earlier had meant; it as so much anger and blind fury, a taunt that he lost whatever they had for such a short time. It was a slap in the face, but with a tongue in his mouth and warm, rough hands in his neck.

"So what you're asking, what you're needing, is having us save your old man first," Ukai asks without it sounding like a question. Lighting another cigarette, he looks at Sawamura. 

"Your call, team captain. But I think it were your words... what was it again... 'If someone needs saving, we're the ones for the job'. I know this isn't Miyagi but... this truck doesn't feel as cold to me as an hour ago." Ukai lets the word sink in, and Atsumu sees them sinking when he can face the room again, when he's able to look anywhere but Tobio. He takes a few steadying breaths, trying to gauge what decision Sawamura would make. Right now, he's looking at Tobio, a deep sigh rumbling from those square shoulders and towards the crossed arms. As if Tobio was a child misbehaving. The intensity of Sawamura's glare has Atsumu's eyes turn towards Tobio as well after a moment, finding himself pleading the same case. This all was made possible because of him. Atsumu just needed one more miracle.

"I know you'll never forgive me for lying. But I never lied about how I felt... How I feel about you, Tobio. Please... it's why I asked Osamu to install the... the pass-code mechanic. To set you free when I couldn't... protect you myself. I'll leave you alone forever if that's what you want, and I know my dad doesn't have the best record..." Atsumu turns to him, not caring that there's a ton of people watching, that Osamu is right behind him. They were made to do the wrong things, but their mother was a hero, and she birthed them. Atsumu never thought he'd find it again, but he knew there must be some good in him left.

He only needed Tobio to see that, and to finally believe him.

Tobio looks at him for the first time since the airport. Actually looking at him with those soulful dark blue eyes. They had been stormy, headed, happy. Full of hell's fury when he found out about Atsumu and Osamu's double lives. He doesn't look at anyone else in the room, not asking for consult. His shoulders may be more narrow than Sawamura's, but they're elegant in their sharpness. Heavy with black wings that bore him this far, tense and up, ready to strike. Headstrong not to let Atsumu too close. But after a time they fall. His jaw unlocks. 

"We wouldn't be heroes if we'd let a man rot in prison or allow this organization that takes children by force to continue." Tobio looks away from Atsumu after a moment, and addresses the room fully, looking at all his allies. "I will fly to that prison alone if neither of you will help me, but don't dare to stop me from going." 

Impossible as it is, a laugh goes through the truck. Not from one person, but from a bunch. Atsumu slowly turns as he sees the stoic poses slack, and the hatred evaporating, chuckles shaking shoulders. 

"You heard the King. He's calling us out," Tsukishima says, and Atsumu sees where Yachi went off to when he looks up. She's curled in Yamaguchi's lap, being soothed by the Spear-point's hand. She looks at Tobio, then nods. 

"We go where you go, Kageyama."

"Damn straight," The boy named Ennoshita says, brushing his hair back. "If we'd let you do this alone too, you'd get caught anyway. You're way too wired right now!"

"That's right," Nishinoya laughs, Atsumu recognizes it as the laugh of Thunderbird. Of course, the lightning he used to get the muzzles off... Atsumu had imagined him taller. "We're with you till the end, Kageyama! And we're all came a long way to fight a good fight."

At last, Hinata stands, his eyes going from Osamu to Atsumu, then to Tobio. "Let's show these punks how heroes do their work."

Sawamura turns to the wall behind him, slamming his lower arm against it. The ore wall gives, melting to a square window. Black rooster hair turns, and the voice Atsumu heard before begs not to touch the steel which such brutality. Atsumu guesses that it's the driver, with a quirk that has to do with the metal truck they're in. When he turns, Atsumu cannot see his entire face as it's covered with black, unruly hair going down at the side.

"Where to now, _boss_?" he asks, a smooth voice that sounds like strained laughter. All eyes are once more on the brothers as if they know, but Shimizu answers. 

"Hyougo, Kobe city prison. They kept him close just in case, I guess. He's heavily guarded, but joyous news." She looks up, showing a smile that unsettles Atsumu. "They don't know who is coming, and he's in a very easy to reach place for our most able-bodied heroes."

" _Fun_. Sawamura, remind me again to never owe you a favour," the driver says, then starts the engine. 

"I need a few more, Kuroo. First, can you give us those comfortable seats again?" After the request, the alloy melts and reforms, creating more benches for people to sit on; those in the middle have rail guards too. Atsumu doesn't think it will reach all the way to the back, but when it does, he and Osamu are pointed at it to sit down. To his surprise, Tobio sits right next to him. The truck starts, and a few lights flicker out. Around them, some lie down on the ground to sleep, getting futons as the ore melts to god knows where, revealing them from the floor. 

Atsumu doesn't give it much attention; Tobio's leg aligns with his.

"...Did you ever try... to tell me all this?" The voice is a mere whisper. Next to Osamu, the Second Sun sits down, attempting to look down on them when his height isn't made for it. Atsumu hears a threat towards Osamu not to try anything funny. In front of them, Yamaguchi helps Yachi down, he and Tanaka flanking her sides. Then to add to the surprise, Spearpoint turns to Osamu.

"Your quirk can relax people, until they sleep if you use enforce it, correct?" Yamaguchi's light brown eyes are watching Osamu, while Tanaka's turned head regards the side of the bench where Kageyama sits. He does indeed have a faint, golden glow about him up close. Atsumu is in awe.

"I... yeah. But I can't control it, not to one specific person. If I speak or try singing, everyone will sleep."

"Right. Hey Tsukishima, you heard him. Block those who should stay awake out of it, alright?" Tanaka calls upwards to Tsukishima, whose hands rub under his glasses. He nods, taps on seemingly wood as there's no keyboard, and Atsumu sees a holographic sheet, dividing the room. It bends around them, around Yachi. Yamaguchi nods towards Osamu, points at Yachi. Osamu looks left to Hinata, who shakes his shoulders. To Atsumu, as Tobio slips headphones over his ears. Must be noise canceling. Tobio has another set of those ear-pods in his own ears.

Osamu starts singing, which is the fastest way for his quirk to work and ease someone's bones, someones mind. Yachi falls sideways into Tanaka, who puts an arm around her, and Yamaguchi pulls a blanket over her. He then waves, both to Osamu, then to Tsukishima. The first stops singing, looking to Hinata and making sure he doesn't fall off the bench. Tsukishima disables the holographic sheet.

Atsumu pushes the headphones off, which Tobio promptly takes. 

"Incredible," Atsumu says in light of all the high-tech he never new existed.

"Thanks," Tsukishima yawns, changing the settings on his chair to lie down and sleep in it, a mask now over his eyes. Tobio's 'hmpph's.

"Don't praise him. He becomes insufferable," Tobio warns, then their heads turn to a mumbling Hinata.

" _Is_ insufferable... Stingyyama..." 

Atsumu looks past his brother, then hears Hinata snore. Usually someone who's taken out by either of them, stays out. Osamu doesn't look all too happy for several reasons, of which Atsumu can muster a few. The benches mold actually under them, making it easier to fall asleep. Osamu stretches his legs, and the metal makes a hole for his feet under the bench in front of them. Once the people around him have settled down, either with headphones for music or to sleep, Atsumu turns to Tobio for his answer.

"A hundred times. I swear, I never wanted to hurt you..." 

Tobio meets his eyes. It's a change from the airport, where he looked so conflicted. There's a softness in those blue-black eyes now, and a smidgen of sadness. Tobio's hands lie flat on his thighs, and when Atsumu tries to hold one, there's no protest. Neither of them sleeps for most of the ride north, holding hands the entire time. 

 

*

 

Shouyou wakes from a phantom pain. Holding his chest, he hisses at his own stupidity for believing it's real. It must have been a dream. Which brings him to the reason he might have slept uneasy. Turning his head to the side, he sees double.

"Double Trouble... who even picks that name," he mumbles, then finds Miya... Osamu's eyes on him. There is just one possibly way deduce which twin is who; Atsumu's head nestles close to Kageyama. Too close. Definitely the brother Shouyou dislikes the most. None the less, Kageyama and he have fallen asleep in each other's space. Most troubling. Once Shouyou is done giving the sleeping brother an evil glare, he focuses his attention back on the brother right next to him.

"We sorta hoped heroes would be smart enough to figure out we're not all that good," Osamu answers. Half-lidded eyes are open enough to show full disdain, as he stares down at Shouyou. As if he has _any_ right to look like that! Shouyou clicks his tone, looking around the truck. Most people are sleeping. Ukai isn't there, but Kuroo talks softly with Sawamura, as they share a tea Shimizu made. That means Ukai is driving. Shouyou wonders how Kenma is holding up; they were at Osaka bay when the plane went down, and the Nekoma team handled most of that. To help them hide whatever Tobio wanted to stay unknown a little longer. There had been no reports whatsoever.

Gentle lights line their benches and make-shift sleeping arrangements. Osamu, still thinking he should be talking, points as them. 

"What powers all that? I heard that... Roosterhead guy say he made this truck on low engine sources."

Tanaka is awake too, replying before Shouyou can tell the villain it's not of his business. "Solar energy."

"It's the middle of the night," Osamu replies dumbstruck, gaining only a laugh from Tanaka who falls back asleep. As if he'd been awake long enough to make sure nothing bad befalls to the awake twin, but doesn't seem to keen to stay awake and keep protecting him. Taken by a fury which edged onto Shouyou during the last attack on his person, fed by having to stay stationary, and flared up after Kageyama's dis-/and reappearance... Shouyou cannot control his right hand opening up. He summons a miniature sun ins his palm, gaining Osamu's undivided attention. 

"The sun shines when I tell it to shine." Shouyou gives his best menacing look, the one he practiced with Bokuto and Washio. To his minor amusement, Osamu looks taken aback. Yet not scared of the power Shouyou can bring into existence. Another mumble rises, but from the top of the gallery. Osamu must know that the person there is more powerful and better at anything digital than he could ever wish. Even without all his cards on the table. Shouyou is a bit proud, although he'd never say so in Tsukishima's presence. 

"All the tech and lights are powered by a little sun Hinata made. Beneath me, it's being harvested for energy. We're good to go for another 20 hours at least," Tsukishima murmurs, his arms crossed over his chest. The interior of the truck, that is, the gallery inside of it, was created in a way that Tsukishima would be toasty warm all ride long. 

After hearing Tsukishima speak, Sawamura and Kuroo look up, as the support hero is closer to them. Kuroo looks amused at this entire expedition, but Sawamura scowls. Shouyou shrinks back in his seat, trying to hide behind Tanaka's head. Sawamura doesn't have to tell an adolescent like Shouyou to go to sleep. Not with words. Deciding to ignore Osamu and how close they sit together, Shouyou averts his eyes. His hand becomes a fist, allowing the warmth of his energy to return in his palm, killing the light. 

 

*

 

Osamu wakes at first morning light. when he opens his eyes and remembers what happened, where he is, it puzzles him. There weren't any windows yesterday. Maybe the driver would have made them to let natural light in, but Osamu doesn't see any. As he turns to the side, he understands where it comes from. Remembers who sits next to him. A light he saw in the middle of last night, sitting pretty in the palm of a below-average sized hand.

Hinata Shouyou wasn't called a Second Sun for nothing. His body emits a little light, strengthening on inhales, easing up on exhales. it reflects more off the Golden Buddha, who gives a faint golden light off himself. He knew what kind of people where in Kageyama's hero office, but truly seeing the entire line up had his stomach twisting yesterday. Once Osamu takes note of the light, he also notices the people in front of him, who sit backwards to watch.

They had stopped driving. In the absence of an engine sound, Osamu can hear a soft hum from under the gallery. Not a single being except those right in front of him, stir.

"We should wake him. Doesn't it take energy?" The blond girl— her name was Yachi, Osamu remembers —mumbles full of concern, her brows drawn, her fingers pressed together over the bench. Osamu feels the need to say sorry for what she... saw or felt yesterday. But then the Buddha speaks.

"Nah, sleep restores energy, doesn't it? I think he's in a balance. I mean, he's never tired or drained when he comes to work now, does he?" 

"That's true... still, we're almost there. He could help wake everybody else." A boy says, a thick lock of hair standing straight to the ceiling. It takes a moment for Osamu to place it, to call to mind the files he read about the heroes of Miyagi. On Yachi's right side was Tanaka Ryuunosuke, the golden boy who can weighs over 40 ton in his full golden form. An descendant of the first person born with a quirk. On her right was Yamaguchi Tadashi, the silver kid, who can form pointy weapons from his body, no puns intended. He had a chosen weapon, a spear. None of them pay Osamu any mind. 

"Right, because that works so well when we try to wake you up, Yamaguchi." Tanaka laughs, a little too loud for those immediate behind him. A few grumbles come his way. There's no actual dislike in their voices, and Osamu feels a familiarity in it. He and Atsumu are much the same. But they were brothers. These people act like family, when there's not a single blood bond connecting them. 

The Yamaguchi kid cups his mouth, then whispers, "Hinataaa, meat buuuns... we brought you some."

"Hnng," Hinata's brows furrow, and the other three laugh, trying to stifle it behind their hands.

"Tsukki's about to eat them if you don't waaakeee uuuup~" Yamaguchi says, and Yachi has to fold two hands over her mouth to make sure her snorts don't escape. Tanaka's grin grows wider still.

"Hnnnnnggg!" Hinata squirms in his seat, against Osamu. He's been no fan of this ride, love birds on one side, and a kid that burns like the sun on the other. He's felt warm all night without a blanket, and now he knew why. As Hinata doesn't wake up, Osamu gathers the three people's attention.

"Allow me," he says, grumpier than he intends towards the people who vowed to help his father. Who despite having every right to do otherwise, let him and Atsumu exist in this space. As he stands, he notices there's no wariness in either of them. Yachi has seen his past, or felt it more like. Yamaguchi 'Spear-point' sits back with a confidence that comes from being a well-paid hero. And Tanaka... Well he's a Buddha, one of the strongest heroes Miyagi has to offer.east of Tokyo Osamu poses no threat to them if their technical friend can raise barriers with the ease of a blink. 

Standing up, Osamu walks past Hinata and from the bench. But not before he kicks his short legs.

"TSUKISHIMA. YOU DON'T EAT EVER SO DON'T EAT ALL THE BUNS!" Hinata wakes up yelling, but Osamu can't see any of it. The entire truck lights up, and his retinas hurt, blinded. Around him, confusion and yelling erupts. The truck comes to sudden stop and he falls, not knowing where to hold onto. From the front he hears cursing from a grown man.

"Oh, gotchu!" A brick blocks his path, and Osamu feels the need to fight that off too, however unable to. His eyes only see an all-white nothing. "You have your eyesight back in a second, just keep them lids closed!" 

Tanaka speaks close to him, and Osamu guesses that the brick in his back is the man's golden hand. After a while he tries to open his eyes again. Everyone's up, throwing cushions towards Tanaka and Hinata. Osamu watches in awe as gold liquid vanishes from Tanaka's skin, back inside the pores. Tanaka winks to Osamu. "I was ready to turn gold any second with Hinata waking up, should have warned ya!"

On the bench Atsumu rubs his eyes, Kageyama grumbles, and Hinata's glares at Osamu. 

"I don't even want to know," Tsukishima yawns as he comes down the gallery for the first time since Osamu saw him. The truck opens on the back where the twins entered. The guy with wild black hair, vaguely shaped like a rooster's, knocks on the inside. A ripple goes through, an echo carrying forth to the front. 

"I'd say 'wakey wakey', but I am assuming Chibi-chan did all that for me by the sight of it." He brushes the metal, which Osamu inspects as well, watching it become flat and smooth once more. It still feels warm. Some people, like Tsukishima, jump out of the truck, stretching their limbs. As they greet the driver, Osamu catches his name, at least his family name. He somewhat remembers a guy named Kuroo from Tokyo, but he didn't know someone who could make an entire truck out of ore existed. Kuroo catches Osamu's eyes as he comes in, ruffling Hinata's head.

He's tall, too. But it seems that Hinata has no qualms about that. He pushes Kuroo's hand away, but not too harsh. Kuroo laughs. 

"How about you go out and try yoga, for once. I heard the sun greeting is very relaxing." 

"Ha, ha, Kuroo-san, extremely funny," Hinata says, his voice missing venom as he walks past him. Osamu notices for the first time that Hinata has an undercut. It's there and gone from his sight, as Hinata turns. The venom missing for Kuroo settles in his face when Hinata looks up to Osamu though. A warning coming through teeth. "Touch me again, and I'll melt that stupid face off." 

There's hisses of 'Hinata!' towards the little shit, including from Kageyama. Then Kuroo pushes him out with ease, guiding him with two hands on the lithe shoulders. When he shoves him out in the most gentle manner, Kuroo puts his hands on his sides. "Easy now, first we have to rescue Papa Miya, or so I heard."

"How did you know our father took our mother's last name...?" Atsumu's eyes are slits, and Osamu feels the same caution run through himself. Kuroo turns to them, smile vanishing.

"Huh? I didn't. Just a guess. Ah sorry, rough topic, I guess." Kuroo rubs the back of his head, then walks over to where Sawamura rolls his head. The two bear leader abilities, standing shoulder to shoulder to converse, faces turned to the outside of the truck as they stand on it's inside edge. As most of the people slowly get out past them, Osamu catches his brother making soulful glances at Kageyama. Not wishing to see any of that more than he already has, Osamu turns to leave. Fresh air would do him good.

The truck shuts in his face as he's close to the ramp, the grass in front of him vanishes, and the outside faces have no time to turn before metal melts without a visible seam, sealing them off. 

"Ah, not so fast. We're gonna help, as Sawamura commands. But you're not leaving our sight," Kuroo calls, walking over and dragging Sawamura along; his arm is slung over a grumpy head, and Sawamura tries to get away. One got more sleep than the other; one was more used to less sleep, for sure.

"Uh, you have a dozen people out there who could stop me, and may I quote 'melt that stupid face off'. Why exactly can't I go outside?" Osamu doesn't like being cooped up anywhere but his own room, his own territory. The plane had been bad, turned to a nightmare when he fell straight out of it. This place might be safe, but it was still too much after spending the night in it. His mood reflects on his face.

The back of the truck opens, but only to reveal Ukai standing there. He has a black ear-piece around his ear shell, interconnecting with golden piercings. Corners of the truck might have been outfitted with bugs. Behind him, Narita carries a basket with fruits, handing everyone a couple. 

"At ease, kid. We have to go over the plan," Ukai says, biting into an apple. Narita comes up to the ramp, leaving the remains of the basket to everyone inside. "Thanks, Narita. Proper breakfast will be served in an hour or so." 

Ukai relates this as he steps onto the ramp.

"The plan? Without everybody present?" Atsumu says, wide awake. 

"Shimizu's and Sugawara's advice is that not everyone is needed at the same time or do the same tasks. They do not need to be present now to hear what their roles in tonight's... adventure will be." Sawamura says, after finally getting Kuroo's arm off him. Then he huffs up to him. "Would you, uh, do your thing?" 

Kuroo grins, rolling his head, cracking it both ways. "Of course! I haven't been doing 'my thing' enough for you to be impressed, I guess." 

Stretching out his hands, Kuroo's eyes melt over into liquid metal. It reminds Osamu of mercury. Then he has to step back, as the surroundings change, From where Kuroo stands, a round table and chairs for everybody present appear from the ground. The benches fall away at the same time. Osamu wonders how much of this 'precious metal' Kuroo has and can manipulate. If he gathers it himself or was born with it like Tanaka. Once he's done, Sawamura and Ukai are the first to sit. Atsumu and Kageyama follow. From a corner under the gallery, Shimizu appears, smelling freshly showered and shampoo'd. She carries her tablet towards to the table, sitting between Kageyama and Sawamura. 

Now where the hell they were hiding a bathroom is Osamu's to guess.

"Please sit down. We have only a day to prepare," she motions towards the seat on her opposite, and Osamu sits down at last. Narita appears to take the basket back intro freedom. As Kuroo wills it, they watch Narita being welcomed by happy cheers, which die as the truck closes a final time. His eyes become light brown.

"So, let's begin," Ukai groans around his cigarette, Shimizu touches her tablet, and whatever she did makes the table turn to a screen, loading images of the plane swimming in Osaka bay. "Naoi confirmed; the plane went up in flames. Not a trace of anyone who was on board when it happened. Kozume is working from home.involvement. Fukunaga and Yaku are working on reconstruction as we speak. They arrived on Kansai International this morning. The two jumpers weren't visible in the night-sky as the focus lay on Kageyama and the Miya twins. Naoi and a small team will keep a close eye on anything out of the ordinary surrounding Osaka-bay, but its a big area to cover. Even so, I advised against Yamamoto's involvement."

Ukai looks at Kuroo who nods in agreement. Osamu has the feeling that these hero agencies have a close relationship. Half of the people mentioned made no sense to him, and they were all given or last names. He looks up when Shimizu taps the tablet again, and the images swap for another one, a blueprint. 

It shows everyone around the table Kobe city prison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now please a round of pity for the twins (ᵕ̣̣̣̣̣̣﹏ᵕ̣̣̣̣̣̣) They had a tough life and were worried to death for their father ;o;/ who maybe?? i should have mentioned earlier (cannot remember if i did w) I think??? I should have put hints here and there to acknowledge their other, still alive parent... I am pretty sure I planned it or the things that alluded to that idea were extremely vague ¯\\_( ◉ 3 ◉ )_/¯
> 
> Some of the loose ends I will conveniently tie up backstage and have characters mention, but my biggest worry is plot-holes or things I wrote and then didn't follow up on... So chapter 8 might be a Saturday release (Saturday night, +3gmt) **[[[Edit:]]]** Definitely now that I uploaded this one a lil early ww
> 
> I've been working on chapter 8 most of the time now since the releases go so smoothly~~ Chapter 9 (I wrote the very end pretty soon too ww) is still a little baby crow of a fic, but with what I wrote in chapter 6, I want to make sure that everyone gets a happy ending!! well most people ヽ(‘ ∇‘ )ノ Cannot make any promises owo
> 
> Anyway, I hope this chapter was nice to read with the completely different pacing and the unload of exposition. I love love love writing the Karasuno people as a big bad ass family that are insanely protective. Writing Kuroo was a lot of fun too! Also I'm not sure if I want to do a )versatile) daikuro spin off or a (versatile) daikita one... maybe both? Maybe ot3??? I am very unsure ww There's a Sawamura stand alone one-shot I will release after chapter 8. I does not have to be read within the series nor is there any stuff necessary for the fic... but just in case there's people who like Sawamura and want to know about his power (❛▿❛✿)


	8. Chainbreakers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Throughout a prison outbreak, Atsumu and Tobio rise and fall with the question where they stand and what they are to each other. It's hard to figure out when an entire team of heroes are present and watch their every move. However, the graduates from Karasuno who form the Crow Agency aren’t the only heroes on the scene. And if there's plenty of them who can light up the skies, evil still exists. 
> 
> There’s still one powerful villain. Question stands if Atsumu and Tobio, who have been through so much, can go through this one more ordeal. Will love survive? Will the lovers make it out in one piece?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2017, end, foolish me: Oh so chapter 7 will prolly be the longest chapter! Nice cus its so heartfelt and painful  
> 2018, beginning, foolish me: So yeah guys just one chapter will be around 10k all the others will be shorter!!  
> 2018, mid, me realizing my foolishness: SO HEY GUYS HOW ABOUT ANOTHER LONG CHAPTER THIS ONE IS 13k LONGEST YET HOW ABOUT THAT ヽ(>∀<☆)ノ 
> 
> See its funny cus as I wrote, the fic grew, and as the fic grew, plot became stronger and more filled, people’s involvement became more advanced, I added more pov from other characters… and yeah the action scenes www This chapter is basically how I envisioned it, with a looooottt of extra stuff that fell into my lap (thank god).
> 
> Once again a couple of crossover characters from BNHA~ If you do not know the anime, you don't really miss anything (except my obvious mentor&apprentice headcanon). 
> 
> I’m immensely proud of this (o´∀`o)! Thank you all who keep commenting after every update. It gives me such a boost!!!
> 
> PLEASE ENJOY ♡ (⇀ 3 ↼)

Mid October turns a sunny day cold. There's no breeze in the woods hideout. Kuroo transforms the truck time and time again, to fit the needs of the mob. There's grumbling from Tsukishima who wouldn't want to move, and requests from the cleaner side of the team requesting showers. Whenever Kuroo does his trick, Osamu stands still to watch, fascinated. Atsumu's eyes always glance elsewhere.

Right now he watches as the glasses guy by name of Tsukishima helps Narita (a 'doctor' of sorts) push a spoonful of medicine down Tobio's throat. After a scheme involving chicken soup failed, Tobio faces being force fed. Protest dies quick. Common sense lets Tobio see the need to heal from his ordeal. A hardship Atsumu imagines the worst of.

“Now don’t lose this chip _again_ , please,” Tsukishima says, flicking his fingers against Tobio’s neck. The marks heal, but Tobio lashes out at once towards Tsukishima, who doesn’t create a barrier against him.

 

Noon stretches on, but none of the funny looking confrontations between his love... ex-love and his team ease Atsumu. While he's being told on all fronts that his father is safe, Atsumu has a hard time believing it. He's lived too long in the shadows, knows how security can be circumvented. Ukai and Sawamura are both reluctant to keep the team moving on the road again after their long trip from Miyagi. And Kuroo has to rest, too. After talking to his own team, which Atsumu heard being called the Kittens at one point, Kuroo sectioned off a part of the truck for himself. 

Atsumu and Osamu should be happy to be outside for the time being, but he knows his brother is just as eager to move up north. 

Surprisingly, Sugawara sits next to him. Not close, but near enough to indicate wanting to talk. Osamu shrugs his shoulders, hovering over the meal they were given. Atsumu's throat turns dry. Tobio hadn't talked much about Sugawara, but when he did, it was with admiration and respect. Sugawara was just a year older, but a mentor in his own right. 

"We cannot waltz into the prison at day time. Much like... other activities of deceit and, well you know... This is best done at night. Where we need to go is under 2 hours to travel to and preparation. And I can assure you, your father's cell is under constant observation," Sugawara's smile has a quality to it that Atsumu would want to believe in a heartbeat. He stares down his own bowl, not knowing how to swallow any of it. 

"In the meantime, we need as much information as you can give us. How big the organization is, what kind of quirk-users there are, chain of command. Anything we need to know, could be useful..." 

Atsumu looks up at the sky, then glances at Sugawara's unwavering stare. "Asato is the head, Baba and Chiba his left and right hand. Yamamura is an enforcer who just got promoted last year. There's few quirk users among us, and most of them stayed back in Hyougo for the time being. The... the League of Villains said they weren't needed." 

The temperature around him drops by several degrees as he utters the organization's backer. Atsumu looks to the ground. 

"We didn't have direct contact with them but... received an offer. To join them and bring Kageyama, too. Osamu doesn't believe they're here anymore. Or no one at power, at least. There's a couple of safe houses in Kobe and Kyoto both. They're medium in size, lightly armed." Atsumu, about to name the addresses, stops in his tracks. 

Osamu performed a momentary switch.

“Pardon my rudeness, but until our father is free… We won’t say anything. The two of us have been through enough to distrust anyone,” Osamu says from his own mouth, after the switch. He stares back in defiance to their would-be helpers. Ukai appears singular at ease. Hell, he even grins at Osamu. 

“Right, so you want to put that on hold? What makes you think we’ll risk just one person towards a heavy-duty guarded prison without anything to go on? We are the only ones who believe you, the only ones offering aid.” 

“Miya-san,” Tobio says, their eyes meeting for a second, then glancing between the brothers. “Both of you. I pledged to be a hero and save people. You two did the same receiving your hero license, and have done quite the opposite. If you want to trust something… trust my rage. Trust that I will do everything in my power, _with my power_ , to destroy the forces that would put the people of Japan in harm’s way. Anyone.”

Tobio’s eyes receive the same icy sheen Atsumu has seen before. In the hotel room, before they fought and after since. It’s foolish and stupid to be swayed, but Atsumu cannot help his dumb heart. 

“Keep me hostage, then. Lock me up or… I don’t know! Have your techie guy or the Buddha on constant surveillance. I won’t leave your side, Tobio. I won’t jeopardize your safety again. But I cannot make the choice to have my father in harm’s way, as you put it, either! I cannot choose. And Osamu won’t let me, anyway.” Atsumu laughs despite wanting to cry.

Shimizu offers a gentle cough before the rest of the men could interfere. 

“We may discuss this matter of complete and utter information at a later time. Please let me know if you have any idea where they took Kageyama, though. He cannot remember,” Shimizu’s words drop ice in Atsumu’s stomach… or is it just very cold here? He doesn’t know. Maybe she switched on an invisible fan hiding in the truck via her tablet. The surroundings are definitely colder, at any point. Not a heated mess Osamu would have make them go through. 

Tobio averts his eyes. Osamu shakes his head. "Neither do I. The bosses were reluctant to share that information as they noticed Atsumu getting very... close to the Crow," Osamu chimes in, finishing his soup. He nudges Atsumu to eat, waits until he does. Then Osamu sits between him and Sugawara, gaining the latter's total attention. 

"To show our good nature… I can give you data files of all the eh, employees. Most of them are already registered with the police, so it will be easy to cross-check, I am sure. Especially for your technical mastermind." The cool air must have done wonders to Osamu’s head, making him thinking clearly. Atsumu feels it, hears the thoughts forming in Osamu’s brain; give them a little, one thing at a time. But not all. It was a good trade, a slow and steady progress.

"I'm resting," Tsukishima cries from behind a small laptop, headphones on his ears. It takes a combined look from Sawamura, a heartfelt punch from Tanaka, and a tease from Ennoshita to make him move near them and follow instructions. An entire different approach to how Kita would handle things. 

The thought stings, and Atsumu wishes he could contact his senpai and... attempt apologies? He wouldn't even know how to start. Maybe he could ask Shimizu to send the recordings of the Miya twin's past to their team. Probably ex-team. Atsumu sighs. He's lost so much in the past two days, and was on the verge of losing more if they couldn't save his dad from whatever suffering the syndicate would put him through. 

"Checking in on him, but no movement. If he's there," Tsukishima says, and Sawamura returns in on himself contemplating the best course of action. He does so by doing the same ‘crossing arms over chest’ move Kita would do. But where Kita looks straight ahead, Sawamura either looks up or down. 

Ukai lies in wait, smoke spiraling in a fanciful manner to the sky. Kuroo opts his assistance.

"He can be taken captive. If we combine teams, and I could get Bokuto to help. You, me, Bokuto, and maybe that Kita-guy. We can roll this organization up and send them packing." Kuroo grins. Sawamura contemplates, his eyes dark. It's something for later. "First we make sure their precious father won't have to take the bite for it." 

Atsumu allows the smallest of relieving sighs to leave his nose. These guys have been planning a rescue before they're planning to collect the villains. All to make sure no one would come to harm except those who were truly deserving of punishment. 

He knows he shouldn’t chance it, but he appeals to Sawamura. 

“Say uhm… With Inarizaki’s position and you guys being waaay out of your home turf… Would you consider if. If Kita-san and the rest could handle rolling up the syndicate?” Atsumu has no leg to stand on or right to ask this. Not trying to give his former team at least something wasn’t right, either. Sawamura considers him for a long time, not looking at anyone else for consultation.

“I’ll have to think about it.”

The twins soon found out that the Crow agency has a good cop/bad cop routine. Sugawara was their good cop (although Osamu swears over telepathic link that there's more to him hiding under that smiling facade). While Tanaka and Nishinoya act like they want to go all 'bad cop' on them, it's their leader who takes on the role. Sugawara discretely stands up to talk to Yachi who stands nearby, their conversation silent. Atsumu has no clue why, until a hand appears gently on his shoulder.

Sawamura squats down between them, leaning either of his hand on one of the twins. There's no pressure behind the touch, but Atsumu feels it none the same. This was the guy who moved earth below their asses yesterday. For a moment he wonders if Sawamura’s decision-making is just lightning fast. Considering his position and leadership, as well as his actions so far, Atsumu has the faintest idea who this guy might be. He hopes he's wrong. 

"Have you guys ever heard of the 'Sawamura-cliff' in Tokyo?" 

Atsumu's hopes fling themselves out of an imaginary window. Stunned and unable to speak, his twin takes up the slack. Or at least, Osamu is able to nod. 

"I don't take pride in it, nor am I in the habit of telling people that it's me who created that. Therefore, take this merely as a warning," Sawamura says, looking straight ahead the entire time. "If any of you make a wrong move against my team, it won't be a golden fist, a spear, or lightning that will strike you. I will split the earth and bury you in it. That's my promise to you."

He's there and then gone, as sudden as a heartbeat. Atsumu swallows, his throat dry. Osamu shakes his head, muttering how they pissed off the wrong people without knowing everything. Of course Osamu could have found that this Sawamura Daichi was _the_ Sawamura Daichi. One of the few in world who were strictly prohibited to use their quirk under any circumstances. But when he had looked at Sawamura's file, it just said 'support hero, quirk unknown'. Atsumu observes Sawamura talking to Azumane, knowing fully well that this man who could go within himself and have his eyes darken—

This man was able to cause earthquakes.

 

He doesn't see Tobio the rest of the day. Whenever he looks over his shoulder, there's at least a handful of crows staring back at him. It's not as if they're trying to keep them apart; it's an automatic instinct. They protect the one whose recent hurt caused them all to come here. Atsumu's pride isn't touched; Osamu would do the same for him. As his brother eases down on the grass, they exchange a glance. 

{"Do you really think they will execute this plan? Sounds kinda... I don't know. Un-hero-like."}

Atsumu chuckles. ["Who knows. We're very un-hero-like ourselves. And they do seem to be a, ah. Quite interesting hero team. But Sawamura gave his word, and his authority feels like Kita-san's, right? He appears reliable and not one for whom lying is easy."]

{"Yeah, but—"} Osamu cannot finish his thought. Out of nowhere, a sun flare fills the entirety of the woods. At once, Azumane runs to Hinata. The Miya twins crane their necks to see, and Hinata comes forward, sweat dripping from his forehead and chin. Sugawara stands, then motions the brothers to keep seated, a sad smile on his face. Azumane makes Hinata sit down, and Yachi is once upon her friend with soothing words. They talk Hinata through breathing exercises. 

"Post-traumatic stress. He sometimes... flares up thinking about what happened," Sugawara explains, then moves towards Hinata as well, making sure he won't get to crowded by the others. 

"Did you ever feel like that? The world weighing down your shoulders, and every shadow the enemy? Stuff that happens in the past has a strange way of keeping up with us in the present." Tobio's voice cuts through the silence Sugawara left behind. Atsumu looks up to the now tall-ish looking shadow. Tobio's wings are out, and his hair is damp from a shower. Remembering what Tobio's back looks like under the water and with drops running down, he squirms on the grassy underground. Words fail him.

"We never got to sit down and be pampered, is that's what you're asking. Sins weigh heavy, but self-preservation is more important. Especially if you have a dumb idiot as a brother," Osamu replies, strangely protective of Atsumu all of a sudden. As if he demands Tobio to forgive him already. Tobio looks down on them both, his eyes more on Osamu for talking and avoiding Atsumu's gaze.

A rough voice sounds from behind the matte black truck, currently giving shade and offering up refreshments Atsumu couldn't fathom where they hid it all the time. Ukai blows out a smoke once he has most of his team's and the twin's attention.

"It's time to go and prepare. Kuroo-kun, once your transformed the truck to the easy-to-travel-in state, please let your team know to pull back from Osaka bay. Some of those yakuza assholes are gone without a trace. I have a strong inclination that they might be en route to Tokyo. It's best if you guys are there to defend," Ukai finishes, scratching the back of his neck. Kuroo nods, walking over to the truck, his eyes already a wash of swirling mercury. 

Ukai considers the twins. “Sawamura is thinking about your… request. You got yourself a deal, _maybe_ after we broke your father out. We’ll see.”

Atsumu nods, relief a feeling he cannot afford but buys all the same. Behind Ukai, he looks at Tobio. Freeing his father, giving Inarizaki a sort of apology they deserve, and the far away possibility that Tobio’s heart isn’t sealed forever… Atsumu cannot allow himself to hope for anything, yet he watches Tobio all the same, until his dark blue gaze strikes Atsumu where he stands. 

Tobio huffs a breath. He glances away; to Hinata, to the sky. Lastly, at nothing. 

 

*

 

The same message, over and over again. Sawamura remains unreachable. After so many tries, Shinsuke simply gives up. For a moment, he hovers over their names as well. But after the arrest, their things must have been taken. 

Standing on the rooftop of the Inarizaki agency, Shinsuke closes his eyes. A soft breeze touches upon his forehead after carefully pushing his front bangs to the sides. His jacket sits on his shoulders, the sleeves down the sides, as limp as Shinsuke’s own arms. Knowing that the twins are out of his reach, Shinsuke didn’t lead the search party. Just as useless as it had been to attempt one, it was useless to disallow the others from trying. 

There was a crash at Osaka bay yesterday night. Shinsuke cannot be sure, as of so many things he hasn’t been lately, but he simply knows in his heart that the twins has something to do for it. The wreckage had no survivors, and under the list of names who died, the Miya twins hadn’t been among them. Thinking of them pains him, but thinking of them is all he can do. He doesn’t want vengeance, not even on Osamu who had put him out of order with such ease. Shinsuke doesn’t want to look deeply inside himself, fearing sentiment. He simply chooses not to feel, for now.

Aran calls him. 

“Any news?” Shinsuke asks, not sure if the direction of the horizon he’s look at harbours the Atsumu and Osamu. 

_”No sign of them, my captain,”_ Aran sounds tired. Telling him so, or advising him to rest would be foolish. Cold logic is not what Aran needs from him right now, and so Shinsuke rests his case in silence. Aran hangs up after a couple of more moments. Shinsuke stares at the screen after the hang up, unsure of what to do for the first time in his life. 

Teaming up with Sakusa?

Going south?

Or simply waiting for the storm to pass. 

The search for the proper route ceases when his phone buzzes, this time with a message. Fearing the worst, numbing his brain to nothing, being ready for anything, Shinsuke’s thumb strikes down to display. Finding there’s nothing to press. A never before seen pixelating ensign comes on display. Below it, three dots show something loading. The pixels fill in, from grey to all black. Shinsuke’s eyes widen the slightest bit. 

The Crow Agency. Sawamura’s nest. 

The screen turns black, then normal, and text appears outside the usual text message format.

**Please check your computer. There will be a sound file for your indulgence. Sawamura-san sends his regards. As well as an apology for ignoring you.**

Shinsuke returns to his office without further hesitation. When he finds his computer in a state of readiness, he halts. He had put it to sleep-mode earlier. This has all signs of being a trap but… ‘Sawamura-san sends his regards’. The thought that Sawamura would have crossed lines—No. It was too insane to even think. Looking at his phone, back to normal, Shinsuke knows there’s one guy in Sawamura’s team who could do something like this. 

Just to be sure, Shinsuke texts Oomimi, who holds the front lines downstairs. He asks for tea, to be delivered in 10 minutes, and to carry ear-plugs before entering Shinsuke’s office. A prepared man… Not finishing the thought, he presses play.

It’s the twins alright. He can distinct their voices. There's no quirk being used, not even Osamu trying to soothe him. Settling in on his chair, Shinsuke listens. His fingers link together, his mouth pressing on his knuckles. They list crimes of the years since they started at the Inarizaki agency. They also promise to contact him at another time, to give him the hiding places of their former bosses. 

_"We cannot make amends for the things we done. There's... we could explain our childhood and beg forgiveness, but we're not going to do that like this. We'll tell it to you and... everyone else if they want to know, to your faces,”_ Atsumu says, remorse bringing his voice low. 

_"You may not believe a word, but we are sorry,"_ Osamu adds. The kind he means.

Shinsuke doesn’t move until a professional but confused looking Oomimi enters his office. The audio file is still there, without any indication or title. Turning his head and accepting the tea in slow movements, a decision forms in Shinsuke’s head, leaving out of his mouth. 

“Everyone back at the office by 5 p.m., state of readiness.”

“Is there… any news?” Oomimi asks, decent enough to not look at the screen. Shinsuke shakes his head. 

“Not much to go on, but enough to believe in hope.”

 

*

 

Stadium lights shine onto the grey walls of Kobe state prison. Manifested west of Kobe city, it houses all sorts of villainy; the gifted and the quirk-less alike. Given those inhabitants, it's walls are double as thick, lined with a mixture that would make quirks useless. The building's high, at least 6 levels, but not the same in width. Underground are were the more dangerous criminal are housed. Surrounding the stark structure is an oval moat. A literal moat, with water and drawbridges. The architect is an eccentric whose signature consisted of these moats, and he didn't inch away from making the prison add it. Past the moat is just a small wasteland of nothing.

Shimizu's voice breaks the silence over the communication devices. "There's a hundred triggers just on this side. They work like the poles in Ukai-sama's backyard; they reach up and below. However, they're fairly invisible to the eye."

"Good we brought a friend who can help with that," Sawamura's voice replies. Tobio's eyes glances to the side. A wooden construction. In a few minutes, Tanaka would come and sit himself in a catapult. 

Situated on a hill unmatched to the prison, hidden by tall grass and Tsukishima's barriers, his agency lay scattered, doing a hundred things at once. The plan was easy, child-like on paper. Following a simple pattern, there would be a diversion. A great many diversions to keep the prison guards busy. Tobio would be part of it for a time, or at least bring a great decoy into the fray. Once the twins could join in, they would search for their father.

"I got it at last. Miya Takayuki... we're in luck. Second story, left-wing. Our left," Sugawara says. On Tobio's visor, the exact location becomes highlighted in green. A direct flight path estimates distance and time. In smaller yellow dots, exit routes overlay, together with walking guards and guard stations.

Overhead, storm clouds begin to gather, unexpected by any weather channel. Tobio grins, able to hear the crackle of the oncoming thunder in Nishinoya's hands. He, Tanaka and Hinata would be the main sources of distraction. The trio's team was known as Blinding. It wasn't known to many that this particular team included Kageyama at all times; no one would see him coming when sun, thunder and gold joined forces. A speck of black, there and then gone. Looking forward to working with Hinata again after some absence, Tobio listens to the rustling grass, awaiting Tanaka.

Who stands there, sheepish and careful, isn't his senpai. 

Sighing, Tobio taps the side of his visor, making the half-helmet disappear into two black dots within his hair. He observes Atsumu—

Miya—

_lover boyfriend mole enemy liar person I wanted to spent so much more time with betrayer keeper of my heart_

—take a couple of steps. As soon as they stand shoulder to shoulder, looking over the prison, Tobio releases a breath. 

"Were you allowed to visit?"

"Every once in a while. When both me and Osamu were on our best... well our worst behaviour. Asato would give us scraps. 10 minutes every 6 months. But we haven't been allowed to go in a long while," Atsumu doesn't say it; he probably would have hoped to go before this entire thing blew up to this large of a scale. "I had hoped that... if we could get the organization away from Hyougo... they'd let him go free at last. Osamu had a ploy to have dad relocated to Tokyo, then temper with government files. Release him. As all those plans, they were too dangerous to proceed."

"Wasn't getting involved with me just as much as a danger for you?" Tobio says, his hurt feelings rising like acid in his throat. 

Atsumu snorts. "I didn't mean to fall in love with you."

Shocked, Tobio's head turns to his side. Atsumu looks at the prison, a breeze running through his bangs. He smells cleaner; the other crows finally allowed him and Osamu use of the shower. Tobio wonders if it was pity, as they were about to meet their father again. Tobio knows he should look away, to be unforgiving, to not _feel_.

He can't. And when Atsumu notices, he puts himself between Tobio and the prison. 

"I know I can't... ask you to believe me. No matter how much I want you to. Of all the... secrets I kept and the misdirection I played, this... _us_ was never part of it. I didn't plan it, didn't single you out. Before I knew it... I couldn't help wanting you. And then I couldn't help having feelings." A sad smile graces Atsumu's face as he looks to their feet. The hill's downward curve brings him at a height disadvantage. Their eyes are nearly level with each other. Tobio watches the eyelashes, how Atsumu's face is drawn taut all of sudden with sadness and regret. 

When his hand reaches out to Tobio, Tobio lets him. Same as yesterday night, when they fell asleep together. And since the twins' story was known, Tobio hasn't been inclined to disengage his hand, hit Atsumu's face, or ask him with which right he operates to even come this close again. Swallowing, Tobio feels himself calm, able to assess the situation. Far be this from over, and his heart still broken... when Atsumu's face falls forward, Tobio receives the warm forehead against his. They're close enough to kiss now. 

"Whatever happens, and I know I shouldn't be asking anything more from you than you're already deigned to give me but... Tobio, please protect my dad. He deserves a new start." 

Unflinching, Tobio asks. "And do you, too?"

"I am not sure. I trust you—a hero to be judge of that." Atsumu's pained smile stretches to his ears, closing his eyes. When he opens them, Tobio finds himself just as much in love as he doesn't want to be. A pull like the one before, which he couldn't ignore even though he had tried. Agony convulsing through his being, into his heart. Melting it. "May I ask though... yesterday, after the plane. Why did you kiss me? Surely your Narita-san would have administers a healing salve or something."

It was true that they brought some of it. In fluid form like the one Tobio had kissed down Atsumu's tongue, salves and feathers were present. Tobio hadn't wanted it for himself. Every feather he still had needed to be preserved, and what Narita had made medicine from, must be kept for when they needed it. Alas, Tobio didn't know why he had to kiss Atsumu yesterday. Before he can form an answer, the tall grass rustles again.

Hinata doesn't look all too pleased with what he sees. Atsumu retrieves his head and forehead off Tobio's person, taking a step back under Hinata's scrutiny. Before _Hinata_ can say anything, Tanaka's voice booms behind him.

"Yeah yeah, Ennoshita rubbed my entire head just now! I am ready to brawl. Ah, and there's the spoon," Tanaka grins, wearing only black knee-long shorts. He's barefoot too, carrying sand of the hill up and over the catapult when he steps in it. As he settles down, Kuroo's voice sounds over Sawamura's channel. 

_"I told you before, it's not a spoon. It's a catapult,"_ Kuroo says and Tobio hears his voice pulling away when Sawamura retrieves the microphone back from him. 

_"And remember the rules,"_ Sawamura starts, but not even he can finish his sentence. 

"Yeah yeah, no harm will come to our good keepers of the law and the unlawful. Just launch this spoon already and witness some magic!" Tanaka laughs, winking at Hinata and Tobio, seemingly blind to Atsumu's presence here. Nishinoya arrives with Osamu on his heels. All three of them, Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Hinata, have a distinctive, yellow-golden glow about them. Hinata's is more to the orange side, giving off warmth. Tanaka's is a pure aura, layering over his skin like gold-dust. Nishinoya's however, cackles with electricity, never stable, always moving. 

"Division team in place," Hinata says over a walkie-talkie, throwing it near the spoon— eh, catapult. His hair looks thoroughly tousled, just according to plan. Nishinoya's eyes shine yellow-white, and he takes deep breathes. Above them, the thunder clouds swirl in a slow manner, not yet making sound. Giving Atsumu a last, unguarded look, Tobio taps the side of his head, making the visor around him once more. 

He doesn't know what to tell Atsumu, who is joined by his brother Osamu as they face the prison. Ennoshita, at the most outer edge of the wasteland, signals for them to come down. 

_"Glass Heart in place. There's a ton of people here..."_ Azumane says, his voice trailing off but still heard well enough. 

_"Don't worry. Tanaka will be able to draw them off and give you a clear entrance. Maybe today is the day you could try and go through walls, too!"_ Sugawara jokes, as he always would. Azumane could put his hands and legs through trees, glass, paper and some other organic components. But walls were always bearing his way. 

_"Enhancer in place, with cargo. Please don't strike me this time, Yuu,"_ Ennoshita waves, and Tobio relishes in the confused looks the twins are giving. Shimizu had said how their files had been hacked. However, the same with Tsukishima, not everyone's quirks were put down on paper, uploaded to an intranet, or detailed into the most minute possibilities of what they could do. While Ennoshita was mostly of the grid in terms of what he could do, his quirk tonight was of the utmost importance. Still, decided to run the twins through the storm, instead of being flung through the air with Tanaka.

Not long after, Tsukishima's voice comes over the comms. _"All teams in place. That being said, do you two even still have what it takes?"_

The taunt is directed to Tobio and Hinata. 

"Do I still..." He feels too indignant to even speak. Where does Tsukishima even pull that idea from?

"You wanna go, Moon kid? How about you come here and try, huh!" Hinata says into the air, his hands warming up two little spheres. Tobio can hear Tsukishima's muffled laughter, and Sugawara sighs.

 _"I see you still have it in you to rile them up before an important moment, Tsukishima,"_ Sugawara sighs again. 

_"It's just pre-mission tradition, Sugawara-san,"_ Tsukishima says as a matter of fact, then regrets as most of the agency reply with cutesy noises. Hinata makes a face, while Tanaka laughs out loud. Yamaguchi tells Tsukishima that he in fact cares so much, and Nishinoya talks about Tsukishima's softer side always getting the better of him. 

_"Positions ready, I won't count down. Let Tanaka take the lead as usual, Noya following up, and our household demon duo follow in. Places!"_ Sawamura shuts them all down, not actually sounding angry. Tobio lets his wings come loose, the release burning less after they were able to extensively regenerate. He crouches low, letting Hinata's feet place themselves onto his lower back. With Hinata Shouyou's hand on his shoulders, Tobio knows he could take down mountains. 

The prison is a close replica of one, if a bit square. 

"I hope you're ready, Kageyama," Shouyou says, his weight a second nature to Tobio. As if they'd never split up being a team. As if Shouyou hasn't left Miyagi for months to work in Tokyo. 

"I hope _you're_ ready, Hinata. I'm the one with the wings, after all." Grinning, Tobio's wings take him up, at the same time that Nishinoya let's down a bolt of lightning. It touches the right side of the prison, their right. As the first shock might run through, a second bolt splits a rope of the catapult. 

In one arc, Tanaka flies through the air, his limbs forming a close-knitted X. He turns golden with a zing, and halfway over the moat, he suddenly drops with the weight of it. There where Nishinoya's bolt hit, he smashes into the corner of the building, wreaking havoc.

Tobio is in the air by then, a black sheaf. All around him, a hundred lightning bolts strike the earth, and as soon as that defence is gone, Hinata let's go with his hand. Two warm sources shine down on Tobio, illuminating an orange glow to Nishinoya's white lightning bolts. As thunder rumbles above, Tobio rises up, finding a good location for Hinata to drop. 

After that, they let heaven break loose, religious Buddha, sun, and a lightning storm combined. Tobio was an angel in their midst, simply flying away to another place. 

 

*

 

"Shadow, over here!"

Atsumu swivels around when Ennoshita— who warned them not to address him by his hero name, 'Enhancer' —waves to Tobio. Most of the agency hadn't switched into hero costumes, unlike Tobio and Tanaka. They wanted to keep a low profile, and names were out of the question. Apparently they had deep cover names for exactly that reason.

Ennoshita was 'Power', Kageyama 'Shadow', Hinata 'Orb', Tanaka 'Fist', and Azumane went by the hilarious name of 'Jesus', given his hair and appearance. The twins didn't receive anything. They have been warned from various sides to just keep quiet and not say a thing. 

Tobio's wings fill the space, and he folds them behind him as he runs to Ennoshita. Certain powers couldn't be touched by chemical quirk-erasers. Yet, Ennoshita touches Tobio's forehead all the same. There's no spark or glow, nothing fancy. Atsumu wonders what would happen if he and Osamu would be enhanced like that, what they could do with their voices. 

"Okay, I now have to find Jesus," Ennoshita says, his face betraying a hint of mirth behind using that name. "If all goes well, you won't see either of us! Good luck."

"Come on, this way," Tobio says to the twins, who follow in step behind him. On this side, it doesn't look like the prison is under any kind of attack. Doors are shut, lights are on, and not a sound comes from any corner. Tobio has his visor down, following a path inside his helmet. The twins entered with Ennoshita on ground level, and waited as guards ran past him to help with the agitation on the other side. 

The lightning strikes didn't just take down the outer rim of security. Nishinoya also caused a power outrage that didn't compromise anyone safety; all detainees would stay put. Tanaka smashed holes into walls of empty places, causing rupture after rupture that shook the foundations the tiniest bit. At the same time and around the same place, Hinata would blind anyone on the ground levels and near the second level whoever came into his view for a couple of moments. He would meet up with them as and going up. Atsumu didn't have the faintest clue what Azumane's role was, or what anyone else was doing. 

_"Channel secure?"_ Came in the voice of one of the girls, her tone having a seductive ring to it.

 _"Always secure, Shimizu-san,"_ came Tsukishima's reply. For the one hour, he had given the twins in-ears. They were round and stayed well-put in their ears. It was for listening, just in case anything happened... 

_"Temperance here. I'm upping the heat upstairs, and shall lower the temperature on the lower levels. It might not reach the chosen cell completely, but the bars might become easier to break,"_ Shimizu says, addressing the iron bars dividing the non-quirk prisoners from the hallway. Atsumu has never seen his father in there, just at the visitor's lounge or through double-glass. 

_"So we're using our normal names on this channel huh?"_ Hinata asks, immediately countered by Tsukishima who says that those already in the building shouldn't. Meanwhile, Tobio points at a door leading to the second level. Osamu goes in first, and Atsumu follows, with Tobio behind.

"This is insane... If anyone sees us," Atsumu hisses, not wanting to finish that particular sentence. His heart drops a second later. The door to the second level opens. Bright light shines down on them.

"It's us, dumbass!" Tobio hisses, his wings in front of the twins before they can take in the full force of the light. Atsumu blinks away the white from his eyes. Tobio's hand goes around his arm, and he guides the twins up the final steps. Deaf to the bickering, Atsumu can see the hallway once they're through the door, his vision fully normal again. 

He wishes he could have stayed blind. That he didn't go through that door. That he was dreaming.

"Good evening, you unlawful, betraying, lying, thieving and untrustworthy bastards," Sakusa says, half his head covered in bandages. A big band-aid was slapped over his jawline on the other side. His hands, covered by black gloves, hang idly at his side. "I am surprised to see you here, Kageyama. After everything the Miya's put you through... You can tell me later why you're helping. I want the most _detailed_ account of that."

"This choice will be an easy one; stand down or face consequences," Komori says from his side, his body fully in iridescent light. It glowers a dark red with grey specks. His eyes are hidden below a thick-layered dome, almost the same like Tobio's visor. The iridescent light is softer over his eyes. Komori taps his own head, which bounces like pudding; his ears are covered in that same jelly-texture. Sakusa shows off that he's wearing ear-plugs. "And don't even think of talking bullshit. We're outfitted for the occasion."

 _"Don't ask me how they slipped in... but they layered the walls in a coat I cannot scan. Be careful,"_ Tsukishima whispers, as if he's afraid they could hear him. Tobio grits his teeth, knowing that with Tsukishima here, there would be no problem. 

Tobio shields both the twins with his wings. At a disadvantage on these close quarters, he allows Hinata to step yet in front of him too; Atsumu cannot see the small man anymore, just the bright light that comes off him in sunrays.

"...Who tipped you off?" Tobio asks, the first to speak from their side. Sakusa taps his bandaged head. 

"Tracking device in your helmet. I put it in the safe, but had it hooked to my laptop before. Funny how voice recordings work, huh? I decoded Eclipse's voice around it, making it seem like it was nothing. Merged perfectly, and your friend would never suspect it. Oh, and thanks for eating everything edible out of my fridge. I'll deduct that from your pay. If you even get any," Sakusa grunts, his eyes having a dangerous light in them, which Tobio has seen a couple of times. He hears Tsukishima whisper in the background, a deactivation in his helmet following suit.

"There's no enemy here, Sakusa-san. But we lack time for explanations. So please, stand aside," Tobio says, lowering his shoulders to a fighting position. Sakusa lets out a harsh laugh, copying his style. For a tense few seconds, nothing happens. Then Sakusa moves, pulling one arm back. Osamu has to push Atsumu back, as Tobio's left wing swings their way, readying his right wing to take the hit. 

A bone-smashing sound reverberates from the concrete walls. Sakusa hit Tobio's wing. Groaning, Tobio leaves him so second to fall back. He hits Sakusa back once with the wing that got punched, than with his left. 

_"Twins, close your eyes."_ Tsukishima tells them no second too late. Atsumu shuts his eyes as Hinata leaps forward, his arms stretched behind him, two suns glowing in his palm. A clap sounds, and Atsumu's eye lid burn as if he's on the beach on 2 p.m. sun-tanning. The warmth that fills the hallway has him taking a few steps back.

 _"Whatever chances I had to lower the temperature become naught if Hinata raises it. Use light only,"_ Shimizu warns him. Atsumu shields his eyes, opening them slowly. For a second he thinks Nishinoya arrives, as a white light files in from behind. Strangely enough, this light doesn't blind him in the least. Turning slowly around, Atsumu's movements halts when he sees another hero joining the fray.

"Fuck my ass..." Atsumu hisses, about to layer his voice with his quirk and take on another Tokyo superhero. 

"Bo—Starlight!" Hinata yells, his smile wide. He stands between Osamu and Atsumu, the fighting behind them ceased. Starlight just blinded Sakusa and even Komori, who lie groaning on the floor. Tobio folds his unbroken wing behind him, leave the other to the side to heal. He nods to someone behind Starlight.

Their assemble is near identical. Starlight wears a white jumpsuit, with black stripes on his shoulders and down his ribs. It's littered with golden stars. Behind him comes his cape to a standstill; dropping down on either side, the white cape has a dark blue fringe, and the golden accents form feathers. His mask is of dusted gold, formed to fit in with his hair that goes up in two directions. His smile is as blinding as his arms, who cease the white light source, giving his hero name. 

Behind him is Nightsky, who wears the same jumpsuit but with reversed colours. 

"Still haven't learned to direct yours, huh, Second Sun?" The wider hero says, his arms crossing over his chest. Behind him, his cape rises as the light unfolds wings. Smaller than Tobio's, and not made of flesh and bone or real plumes. It becomes one with his cape, lightning the hallway behind him. "But tell me instead, young apprentice, _why_ I am finding you in the presence of... these people? I've been told Double Trouble changed sides. Please don't tell me you're following their footsteps!"

The ending of the sentence is a near whine, and Atsumu watches the impressive shoulders of Starlight drop. "Ne, Nightsky? That can't be true!"

Nightsky, whose mask turns down in a half moon instead of up, sighs. Unlike Starlight's voice, his has a soothing, lower tone. 

"We got word of a prison outbreak. Colour us surprised seeing half the Crow Agency entertaining the guards. As soon as we saw the sun rising at night, we came this way. For answers." His eyes look over the four of them, and a weird white hue crosses over it. The reason why neither Tobio nor Hinata are speaking becomes clear to Atsumu, when he remembers Nightsky's quirk. "Ah, as I figured. This is not a rebellion, Starlight-san. Deep bonds are at play, and while our information about the villains might be true... there's no bad intentions. Not from these four, at least."

Starlight cocks an eyebrow which rises over his mask, his chin nodding towards Sakusa and Komori, who slowly come to.

"And them? Kozume said they're handling out of their own righteous mind."

"My reasons are equally righteous, and I act upon full knowledge, and not just guesses," Hinata says, coming forward in his plead. 

"They don't know the full details. Just as us have no clue about the full scope," Tobio says. As Hinata directs his word to Starlight, Tobio solely looks at Nightsky. He comes forward, beating the previous punched wing out to the side, like shaking one's arm out of a sleeping stupor. "I am sorry... Nightsky-san, but we don't have time to do so now. I will leave this dumbass—I mean Sun, under your wing once more after this is over. But... If you'd please let me and the twins go for now. We have to save a man."

"Ugh, what kind of bullshit..." Sakusa groans, slowly able to roll over on his hands and knees. Incredibly, Starlight nods.

"Hi—Second Sun wouldn't lie to us... Alright! Leave him with me. If there's people to be saved, surely we must let you go. For now," Starlight says, and to Atsumu's growing surprise, he flies over them. He wouldn't have thought that the mere light source would be functional for more than just... blinding one's enemies. But Starlight's hands cut through the walls, and Atsumu can see something coming undone. A sheen, suddenly dripping.

"Oh... I should have... Oh!" Hinata says, cupping his hands together. "Yes, of course! I can melt the walls."

"Hinata you freaking dumbass! Why didn't you do so earlier!?" Tobio groans, pointing at his wings. Hinata replies that Shimizu specifically requested not to use warmth, as it would counterbalance her quirk. Whatever her quirk is, as Atsumu has no clue. Ennoshita tells them to shut it, and that he'll enhance Shimizu's quirk in a bit, too. 

Stepping forward, Nightsky's eyes hue over with white once more. "Starlight-san; Komori-kun is ticklish just under his arms. If you please would restrain him."

"What, now I have to tickle my opponents!? You get more creative every time..." Starlight whines, but does as to Nightsky's suggestion. Hinata melts the countermeasure off the walls, his quirk not dying down due to Ennoshita's touch. Tobio pushes the twins to the side and down the hallway, leaving the other heroes to it. Hinata waves at them.

"Shouldn't you ask En- Power to aid you?" 

"No... he's probably at the other side already. Just try not to fuck up keeping these two busy!" Tobio yells back, then shows the twins the way towards the cells. Atsumu nearly tumbles, being kept upright by sheer willpower and Osamu's hand steadying his arm. 

{"The fuck kinda allies does your Kageyama have? Starlight and Nightsky are legends... and combined easily up to the task to keep Sakusa down,"} Osamu moans, although they're all here to help them. The line-up of the Crow Agency had already been beyond staggering. Atsumu didn't like having to face Sakusa and Komori under these circumstances. Somehow, he had hoped to explain himself a little bit better than just hid behind Tobio's wings.

Wings that would try and break down prison bars. 

 

*

 

Tobio is a step behind when the twins run through the pathway. A dedicated power outrage secures that the cell Miya's father is in highlights the hallway. They're different from the cells Tobio knew from the police station; those had doors, a small bullet proof window. Slits for food or to clasp iron around the prisoner's arms. But here were actual, old school bars. Just as planned. What Tobio didn't plan on was the pain in his heart when Atsumu's voice calls out to his father.

"...Dad?"

Standing beside the twins at last, Tobio looks into a face which Atsumu may have 25 years later. Life and age treated him mostly fairly; there were no harsh lines in the face, the hair and skin looking healthy. A bit sunken in below the cheekbones, and the prison clothes were of course unfavourable. Miya Takayuki stares at his sons, his eyes never once leaving them.

“What are you two doing here? There’s so much noise,” he starts, and Tobio’s ears drift away to sound out the conversation. He looks at the cell, larger than imagined. The entire front spans over 2 meters wide and has a depth of 3 meters. There’s sparse furniture, including a writing desk and a chair. They don’t have much time, and he should counsel them to wait out the heartfelt family reunion to later.

Tobio cannot find it in his heart to rush them.

The twins move as one, closer to the bars, same as their father comes forward. Peripheral vision shows Tobio that Osamu’s hand stretches toward his father.

He’s knocked back violently with a shock.

“What the—? Dad don’t touch it!” Atsumu warns, kneeling besides Osamu and helping him to a sitting position. Miya Takayuki steps closer to the cell bars without touching them, worried for his son. Tobio grits his teeth.

“Moon, what the hell is this?” Tobio asks, not liking the silence that greets him. After a moment of it he hears Tsukishima gasping.

_”…I—I don’t know. Its installation is new. A galvanized force field. I cannot access it, I cannot disable. When I try to find where it leads, there’s an… obstruction. You shouldn’t touch it, under no circumstance.”_

“We don’t have much other choice.” Tobio takes his helmet off, hoping that his communication chip won’t get fried. A multitude of voices, from the helmet and the hallway, fall on his deaf ears. They came too far, fought too many, planned too much. Turning back on a small obstacle was no option. Not for heroes. He brings the tip of his fingers closer, feeling the hurtful energy piercing his skin. Warning him. But whatever powers have been harnessed to keep him out, his wings have to withstand it. 

Putting himself in a low stance across Miya’s father, he looks to the ground and channels his courage. The ridge of his wings touch the invisible barrier between bars, static coming off them. In slow waves, as Tobio presses his wings in for the push, he feels his plumes bushing up, irritated and attacked. Having a good grip within the steel, Tobio grits his teeth and pushes.

Electric currents run down on him. Focusing on the intruder, yellow-white flashes rain down, rush up, attacking where Tobio’s wings try to break through the bars. Tobio tells himself that this pain is nothing; he’s gone through worse, handled worse. The emotional strain on him as been so much harder to bear for so many days. 

The enhanced quirk on his wings doesn’t make them super strong, but whatever misery comes passes. The exchange however, feels like needles scratching over his skin. It happens in such a fast real-time experience that Tobio’s shoulder bow under the pressure. The bars bow around his wings, allowing more in, allowing more of his strength to penetrate and push. They connect with the next bar on either side, and Tobio’s jaw hurts.

Sakusa took some of the time off him. They shouldn’t have engaged in talking back. Tobio feels Ennoshita’s power up evaporating in small amounts, but amounts he cannot miss. Voltage cackles around him, small lightning strikes hitting off across the back of his wings.

“Kageyama… that uh, small guy on your team says you should take a step back,” Osamu says, but Tobio cannot imagine what Hinata could do in this situation. There was no way he could steal his thunder, or create a sun with a warmth safe enough to melt the bars… It’s not until Atsumu pulls him off, shockwaves chasing them in a last attempt, that Tobio understands. 

There’s another small guy who can deal with this. 

From the helmet sounds his voice, too loud in anyone’s ears if they’re wearing headphones or in-ears. Tobio can physically feel the groan of his team, when Nishinoya’s voice booms out of the speakers. 

_”Rooooolling Thundeeer: RETRACT!”_ Nishinoya, harnessing the power to call lightning, eases the electric field off the bars. A white flash, and it leaves, becoming one bolt. The window in Miya Takayuki’s cell breaks. They cannot see him, but somewhere behind those thick walls, Nishinoya harnesses the newly acquired surge of energy into his own body. 

Tobio cannot marvel at his senpai, not when they’re running out of time. Shaking his wings outwards, he steps in, crashing one of them against the bars. They bend before, now having to break if they want an opening.

“You filthy sons of worthless nobodies,” a new voice appears in the hallway, one Tobio hasn’t heard. As his eyes pass in slow motion over the not yet broken boundary that keeps Miya’s father imprisoned, he turns his head towards it. A face with all sharp angles and no kindness stares at them, behind the barrel of a gun. 

No. The eyes stare at the Miya twins. Only the gun aims at Tobio. 

_My wings can take it._

“I’m washing my hands with you, all of you. All the lying and double-crossing. The stunts you two pulled helping my prize escape. Making me detonate that plane with my agents inside when he came to rescue you.” 

“Asato, please lower the gun,” Osamu says, and Tobio hears the calm in his voice. Asato fires a bullet left of his head, making everyone duck out of fright.

“You’d think I’d come here without being prepared, Osamu?” Asato taps the tip of his gun against his ear. “God, why did I ever think I created the most careful executed operation with you two on board… Alas, it’s behind me now. I will start anew. Hell, maybe I will spawn my own brats into the world and have them be raised from the ground up to my bidding.”

“Shut the hell up about my sons, you rat,” Miya Takayuki steps forward to the bars, where the bends open up. Tobio’s wing rises to shield him on instinct. 

_My wings can take it._

On his other side, Atsumu walks forward. Past the feathery shield. “Stop talking. Just… Stop fucking talking! You’ve ruined enough lives. And there’s too many targets for you to shoot anyway! If you hurt anyone besides me, I swear to god, I will beat you to death.”

Atsumu’s growls raises Tobio’s neck hair. Osamu shakes off a minor shudder at the shoulders. Their father sighs. Tobio’s crisis control unravels as all Miya’s take steps in opposite directions, spreading themselves thinner. Tobio cannot cover them all, even with his wing span. He has to step in front of all of them.

“Is that so, Atsumu? Well then, the choice is easy, isn’t it…”

He cannot fly here. There’s not enough room for quick and brutal action. Retracting his wings behind him, Tobio walks forward, determined to not let one single bullet pierce those he vowed to guard from harm. Every fiber of his body leans towards Atsumu, his wing well on its way to pass him. The unattractive image of two people racing and knocking elbows comes to mind. Atsumu wasn’t a good person, but he wasn’t all bad either. Atsumu, who constantly fights for his brother and his father, having to in fear of this single, despicable being in front of them. 

Atsumu, whose touches and kisses Tobio cannot forget. The realness of his feelings, so certain and vivid in Tobio’s mind. How he tried to warn Tobio and protect him, knowing it was too late for forgiveness. His opening up under the angry gaze of Tobio’s friends, carrying the abuse. It didn’t make it all right. But neither was there a belief that Atsumu is all wrong.

 _My wings can—_ The gunshot rips through his eardrums. In a swift motion, to which his brain is too slow to catch up, his wing had formed a defence line. There’s a spasm impact on his defending wing, feeling so much bigger than what he expected. Tobio has been shot at before, but no bullet has come close enough to harm his wings. The floor welcomes his fall.

It’s when he notices the lack of injury, and the presence of a body. Casting a shadow overhead, Atsumu stands in front of him, his left elbow out from pushing Tobio away. His wing must have weakened from the electric shock for someone else to push him like this.

Or Atsumu’s love gives him strength. 

Dizzy, Tobio watches as Asato takes aim. He cannot react, his feet not doing his bidding. He wants to kick Atsumu’s legs out, making him less of a target. Instead, Osamu becomes one; he’s a flash of movement, close to the wall as he runs up at Asato. He knocks the gangster’s head against the prison bars, against the wall next to it, where darkness covers most of the actions. They wrestle, but Asato keeps a firm grasp on the gun.

Between the twins, there is no need to talk. They don’t even look at each other. Without knowing how, Tobio can sense their silent consultation, an agreement between them. Atsumu moves accordingly, his voice laced with acid when he speaks.

“You won’t hurt him… ever again… No a single person I care for will be your fucking toy!” Atsumu’s voice runs over Tobio’s back like a sledgehammer running over every single bone in his spine. It cripples him, and he curls to his side. He tries to use his wings in getting up, but they succumb to the riling quirk in Atsumu’s tone. From where he lies, Tobio cannot see a wound from this side of Atsumu’s body…

His attention draws to Asato, who breaks down on the floor. Osamu releases him, throwing the gun he obtained from Asato behind him. The man crumbles to his knees, hands grabbing to the sides of his head. Tobio sees the first signs of blood, from where Osamu bashed Asato’s head. The twins move, and Tobio can imagine that Osamu’s expression is mirrored in Atsumu’s. He has to get up, has to stop them before they do something stupid. He knows the feeling of rage and wanting to release it on a person. He struck Atsumu’s face after he kiss-healed him.

But his body gives, fatigue allowing him to helplessly flap his wings towards the twin’s direction. 

“No, don’t…” Tobio croons, watching as the twins descend on their former ex-boss.

“Sons, stop it! Leave some for justice already. Osamu please, this is not how I know you. I told you to calm your brother, not rile him up,” Miya Takayuki says. He has no voice quirk of his own. Nothing that should convince them to move away from the crook who took them away and made them pawns. Tobio’s heart aches; the sway of a father’s plead makes Atsumu and Osamu step away from Asato with a heavy heart.

When Atsumu’s front turns to him, Tobio sees that he’s unhurt. There’s no rip in his clothes, no blood stealing away. As they make eye contact, Atsumu’s widen. He takes a few quick steps to Tobio and crouches in front of him. 

“Tobio… hey.” Atsumu’s hand hovering over Tobio’s shoulder. There’s hesitance in his touch. When it comes, Tobio finds himself not disliking it. He manages to get up at last, at last noticing the reality; the bullet grazed part of his wing, and part of Atsumu’s arm. They both tried to take the hit for the other, and managed to split it fairly. The idea brings a smile to Tobio, which he suppresses the best he can. 

“I’m fine,” he tells Atsumu, none of the usual harshness when he’d say something so untrue in his voice. Sighing, he makes the twins give him room. “Let’s finish this.” 

It’s not as if using his wings as a battering ram comes without discomfort. In the plane, he was all thoughtless force, so in focus of his mission and lathered with rage that he didn’t feel it. His wings had rested a little within the hours of that day, and even more so within the night. The electricity gone, the minor injuries he does to himself will heal in time as well. At least there’s no bullet in his wing to distract him. 

No matter how strongly he pushes against the bars however, they do not budge to his will. Then he hears Osamu’s voice.

“Uh, aren’t you supposed to help him?”

Before Tobio understands the meaning of those words, he feels it. Atsumu’s lips on his neck, not being followed by the knowing hands anywhere near his body. And then the whisper, specialized intensification that makes Tobio angry to such a degree that his wings make the prison bars groan and bend wider. The thing is, that the words Atsumu uses to rile him up, are the same sweet nothings Tobio has heard when they were in bed, in the shower, or teasing Sakusa in the office standing closer together than he was comfortable with. 

It’s all wrong. And so right.

 

*

 

He shouldn’t have given his feather to Tadashi. Kageyama would throw a fit later. 

As Kei sweats the way he’d do three minutes at a sauna, he watches his fingers. Concentrates on their length, the small ridges on his knuckles. The shortness of his nails. The strain visible as he shakes violently. He may need to contact a support hero who creates clothes and equipment for heroes in the future. Kei is unable to keep it up much longer.

His friends depend on him.

Kei stares to the ground, the headache ranging from his forehead to his neck now going through his bones. Widening his stance and lowering his arms, he takes a breathe, then concentrates on all the molecules, the energy source, the unnamed things inside of him and all around him. The world becomes numbers, equations, dark matter in between. He sees his breathe, feeble, gone. 

If he loses concentration or control, they will all be visible. He couldn’t give them all protection, all the time. The cameras didn’t work, all mobile phones were shut off. Kei hides his friends from view, re-creating shield barriers that make them invisible. If someone is blinded by a sun, they won’t see it. Thunder will appear out of nowhere, and the storm could be blamed. The golden glittering of the Buddha can be explained away as a ghostly apparition. All because Kei is hiding his friend individually, just like he hid the truck. But the truck had a shield he didn’t need to think off. Inanimate objects could be coded, having their own defence mechanism. 

It was so much easier to shield than breathing, moving, boundless energized people going in different directions. He knows Sugawara is close, ready to communicate if Kei couldn’t go on any longer. He knows Bokuto and Akaashi are in there too. Bokuto had come from the other side of the building, not able to see the gathering of crows and a lone cat. Seeing the night sky come alive with Bokuto’s light, too, had given Kei an unknown strength. 

There were so many people who knew who shone, who had an inner light. And they all said that he was like the moon, waxing, waning. Sometimes dark and not seen by the naked eye.

Sometimes shining as bright as a star.

Blocking out all signals, Kei looks up to the sky, his hands towards his friends. He will have to make sure not to hear that command out of Sugawara’s mouth. 

Tobio owes him a yearlong supply of strawberry shortcakes.

 

* 

 

Breaking the cell open, Tobio staggers back into Atsumu’s arm. The rile stops, Tobio’s muscles carrying the after-shake of it. Osamu helps his father to safety, who looks at his sons in disbelief. A silent understanding passes between the Miya family; hugs and words could all come later. First they have to get out of here. 

“Retreat your wings, Tobio. We know the way,” Atsumu grins, picking up Tobio’s helmet on the way out of the prison. Tobio barely hears the fuss anymore, the directions, the promises. After a point, as his wings are dutifully stowed away, Atsumu takes him piggy-back. “You got anything to keep that bastard secure?”

Tobio feels himself nodding, mumbling directions to where he keeps handcuffs. At the word, Atsumu stifles a laughter. Inappropriate, as always. Osamu makes quick and impersonal work of getting the cuffs and linking them behind an unbroken cell-bar, propping Asato up against it. He’s out cold. 

 

*

 

{“You sure we can leave him here?”} Osamu asks, his hand around his father’s arm. He looks back once, making sure Atsumu can carry his— whatever he and Kageyama now are, broken off with, or could be in the future —out down the hallway and the stairs.

[“Yeah. There’s enough heroes in the facility to take care of him. I don’t care who claims him. Let’s bounce, brother.”] 

Osamu holds tight on both his father and Kageyama’s helmet. He had spoken to the round-ish object in hopes someone out there would help and hear them. There had been no response, until directions displayed on the visor. It marks not the way they came, but the way they should go. A digital playground transmits where the others are, two owls going away from them, a sun, thunderbolt in another direction. Osamu looks at the skull and crossed bones, easily imagining who it is. 

He’s tired and excited, drained in the worst way. But he has his father, and Atsumu is right behind him. They will face this nightmare together. 

 

*

 

His father’s hand is warm in his neck. As soon as they got out, Takayuki hugged his sons against himself, ruffling their hairs, kissing their crowns. Showing the same affection he gave them when they were little. Osamu has a hard time not showing too much emotion, and Atsumu doesn’t understand how either of them can hold it all in after what happened. 

They left Asato for Starlight and Nightsky. Or that’s what Hinata relayed to them after they met up outside of the complex. After all, none of the Miyagi heroes were supposed to be here. How they’d deal with Sakusa is a question Atsumu would rather not think about. The main priority right now was to get out of here, another mind-boggling feat that Atsumu couldn’t figure out. From the sound of it, not just the prison guards are on search for the intruders, but also half the district surrounding it.

[“Pretty sure this team has aces up their sleeves like stars in a galaxy,”] Osamu replies to him, having their father’s other hand in his own neck. They have outgrown him a little.

Their father’s surprise at being freed pales by seeing the amount of people waiting outside who have helped. It surprises Atsumu too, as he has no idea how half the team ended up here. Tanaka without his shirt, Hinata who has stopped to glow, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, looking as if they were out for a stroll. The three oldest senpai where here also, minus the girl. Atsumu sees no sign of Nishinoya, but Ennoshita’s there, signalling they all should head into the woods. 

Outside the complex, there’s a thick forest. After scanning and making sure there’s no surprises, Azumane, Sawamura, and Tsukishima take the lead. They soon move around their friends and the Miya family in a triangle. From the other side of the building, noises of ongoing commotion reaches them. Overhead, helicopters circle, most of them shining search lights to the ground. A few of them even search the skies. Not a single lightning bolt flashes across of it, however.

They’re all hiding in the thicket of trees, standing close to each other in a circle. Azumane, closest to the edge, has his hand on a cut bark, bowing low over it. His eyes are closed, his head turning as if hearing the faintest noise this way, then turns to another corner. Not an exhale too loud around them, and no one moves. Atsumu finds his hand not empty, as Tobio holds it. His… well Tobio was technically nothing of him, not anymore.. or at least he couldn’t be sure where they stood. Without the right to call Tobio ‘his’-anything, Atsumu peers at the wings. They were at large, kept tucked behind Tobio’s back, ready at a moment’s notice. 

Beside Azumane, Sawamura stands tall, staring ahead. Looks of the team go from one to the other. Further along the clearing where the trees around towards the complex, leaves rustle in a soft fashion, while no wind blows.

“Someone is coming,” Azumane whispers. Then his eyes widen with fear. He looks at Sawamura. Atsumu can see him whisper something. Collectively, they all try to hide even more behind the trees outside the prison complex. Atsumu would think it would be a better idea to split, but Tobio holds onto him, as they all come closer together without making a sound. 

Two figures walk carefully in the shadows, not perturbed by the overhead search. As they walk out of the shadows, Atsumu can see that they carry no torches or weapons. Both of them have their hands in their pockets. In terrified awe Atsumu recognizes not just the smaller man, but also the one covered in striped bandages. It's Mindcore and... Eraserhead. If the latter could disable Tsukishima's quirk...

A collective breath intake without a following exhale takes hold of them all.

Ennoshita touches Tsukishima, and Sawamura nods towards him. The faintest whisper reaches their ears, although it’s meant for the tallest among them. "Last hope, Eclipse."

Tsukishima sighs, then descends among the black to his knees. His fingers never make the grass. From the tips of it, an iridescent hue links itself to the green blades below. It has the same fluid, unreal movement of what Atsumu saw in and outside the truck yesterday. Like smoke, it wafts over the grass, flattening a diameter around them. Colour strips of the straws, lifting it up and towards the diameter’s edge. From there, it rises, a cylinder form barely visible to the eye. 

With it, Tsukishima attempts to rise, too. His knees give out before he even comes out of the crouch. 

“Can’t…” he groans through teeth. Atsumu can see from this angle that Tsukishima’s eyes are closes. His father’s hand holds his shoulder tighter. Sweat rolls from Tsukishima’s temple, and he repeats the words, shaking his head. At once, Yamaguchi pushes his spear in front of him, and Tsukishima clasps it with both hands. The cylinder doesn't hold, stopped mid-rise. The panels flicker, weaken. 

Sawamura's feet widen on the grass, and Atsumu knows he'd do something incredibly foolish if Tsukishima cannot hold the blockade. After everything, he doesn't know why this is the most difficult thing in Tsukishima's arsenal. Before it even comes to that, Sawamura evens the ground below them. Giving Tsukishima steadier ground to work on. The earth manipulation makes no sound.

Mindcore's voice rolls through the woods. "Anyone here? Anyone at all? Don't be shy now." 

"Stay low, we'll grand you strength," Hinata says, hooking his arm under Tsukishima. 

Tsukishima gives him an empty laugh. “A support hero needing support… Pretty uncool.”

Yamaguchi does the same on the other side. Flanked by two of his friends, Tsukishima is joined by a third; Tobio lets go of Atsumu’s hand in favour of ripping a feather out of his wings, placing it on the nape of Tsukishima’s neck. Tsukishima’s eyes look up, and he comes to stand, rising his arms. The cylinder follows the same movement. Everyone watches as the scaly blockade goes up and around them. It closes like a lid above them.

Eraserhead locks eyes on his targets, his hair flowing up. Nothing happens. Ennoshita’s arms hug his younger friends from behind. One of his legs, as if they were playing some sort of game, stands next to Tsukishima. 

Two searchlights of the helicopters blind them. They’re in full light, and the leaves around them rustle from the blades high above. Curious, Atsumu looks behind him, as no one else does. Where the searchlight casts their shadows, Tsukishima’s cylinder barrier contains it. In front of them, Eraserhead lifts a walkie-talkie up to his mouth, pressing a button. A light blinks red, same as his unblinking eyes.

“Any heat signatures?”

Static precedes a loud beep, then the answer. _”None, sir. All clear. Wherever those peculiar individuals have gone too… they’re gone.”_

Eraserhead looks once more at the woods, the searchlights casting off elsewhere. At once his hair drops down and he looks at Mindcore, shrugging his shoulders. Mindcore repeats the action, and they turn hence they came.

“Might as well triple-check the prison then… And there’s not a single person missing?” Mindcore asks, falling in step besides his mentor. Atsumu knew that Mindcore had trained under Eraserhead, but to have such a high level _teacher_ come all the way here…

“Nah, it’s the weirdest shit,” Eraserhead answers. “One cell at the quirk-less quarter was demolished and abandoned. But there’s no record to be found who was in there. They swept it after the power turned back on, but didn’t find a clue. There’s rumours of heroes fighting on the upper levels, but that just sounds plain unnatural to me. Whatever happened on the other side of the prison must have been a diversion. Yet, no one broke out, nothing’s stolen, and no one got truly harmed.” 

Their voices drift off. Same as the helicopters who extend their grid search. One of them flies directly above the hiding team. No one moves a muscle until the sound is far behind them. 

Sawamura crouches to all fours, pushing his fingers far apart over the crass. His eyes close, a silent whisper uttering to the green sprouts below. Sound ceases to exist. A strange sensation goes through Atsumu’s feet, and Osamu hold his arm as he experiences the same thing. 

“Not that strong, Daichi,” Sugawara mumbles, to which Sawamura bows his head lower. The sensation is gone from Atsumu’s toes right away. While the two heroes have strolled off, and the aerial support wasn’t in visible distance, anyone could be out there. At last, Sawamura nods.

“Gone. We should move.”

Movement shouldn’t be this, Atsumu thinks. Azumane goes through the trees, whose roots upturn earth as they make a line for them to go through. Under the guidance of Yamaguchi and Hinata holding him, as well as Tanaka lending his back, Tsukishima walks forward in careful steps, swiping the cylinder forward. A constant barrier which takes its toll on him. 

“Do you need connection to the grass, Tsukishima?” Sawamura asks, an expert after all. Tsukishima shrugs his shoulders, then shakes his head. 

“Shouldn’t think so,” he murmurs, at which Yamaguchi helps him up on Tanaka’s back. The barrier flickers from the top to the bottom, but holds. Increasing walking speed while watching their steps and not making any sound, the group moves at one forwards. Atsumu hears his father whisper at how incredible this all his.

They make it to the rendezvous spot. Or at least, Atsumu hopes it is, because he doesn’t see anything. The barrier breaks, and Tsukishima’s head collapses against Tanaka’s.

In front of them, the black truck shimmers into existence.

“Took you long enough!” Kuroo snarls, opening the side door and the truck; to Atsumu’s astonishment, it opens from the back _and_ the side. Atsumu sees the rest of the Crow Agency bundled up inside, Nishinoya standing tall as the rest is sitting in a corner of the truck.

Small stairs appear on the bottom, allowing the group to file in the fastest way possible. 

“Okay everybody in? Let’s get out of here. No time for comfort. Just sit where you stand or lie down,” Ukai says, knocking the panel between driver and truckload. He wasn’t smoking this time, Atsumu notices. No time for comfort. Just sit where you stand or lie down. No one has to be told twice. The truck starts, and Atsumu hears the hum of energy. They’re probably back into invisible mode. 

He crouches down, able to stretch his legs. Tiredness falls over him like a sheet. Tobio doesn’t sit next to him this time, his dark blue eyes casting fugitive glances over all his friends. Tanaka had put Tsukishima down on a cod, and Kinoshita was tending to him. Their father sits there, too, getting a check-up.

“Word from our unforeseen cavalry?” Sawamura asks, as Kuroo lowers the metal panel between them. 

“Got his ass beaten by Sakusa. Aka—Nightsky got him out, saving his hide as always. The jellyfish dude has been knocked over too many times this week and didn’t put up much of a fight. Apparently he used his jelly-arms against Sakusa, enabling their escape.” Kuroo looks behind him for a moment, hands on the wheel. He looks at the reunited Miya family. 

“They also find a nice little present chained to the former cell of one Miya Takayuki. Nightsky asked me what the hell they’re supposed to do with that guy, so I told them to hold on a couple of hours and keep out of sight. That they should ask all the questions of Sawamura, not me. I’m just the driver,” Kuroo laughed, then talks to Sawamura, to all of them again. “By the way, Bokkun becomes a little powerful, huh? Didn’t even see him come until the last moment he rushed in, freaking typical. You guys having much trouble?” 

Sawamura grins, tired. He shakes his head, then denies it audibly as Kuroo wouldn’t have seen. “Trouble? Us? Whenever did we shelter such a thing under our wings?”

Atsumu feels eyes on him and Osamu. It was time they shed the old name. Afraid for his life, he crawls over on hands and knees to where Sawamura and Shimizu sit.

“So uh, had any time to consider our proposal?”

Sawamura gives him a dead stare. There’s the faintest hint in his eyes that he’d rather fling Atsumu out of the truck and let the helicopters find him. His gaze flickers to Atsumu’s arm, where a bullet graced him. Narita had taken care of it with a bandage, but no more healing feather fluids. Atsumu would have declined it, anyway. 

Then there is the deepest sigh—one that could split a rock.

“A list of names, addresses, secret hideouts, and all other sorts of important stuff. Leave nothing out,” Sawamura warns without a hint of aggression. “Nobody here has the energy to take down a syndicate if its not an immediate threat on our lives this instant. And Kita… Kita should have this.” 

The grin is wide on Atsumu’s face. Despite the circumstances, or because of it. The idea of taking the Ikuta-kai down once and for all... He’s joined by Osamu, who won’t leave him alone at this tide-turning moment. Asato was out of commission, and without a head, there’s no one to lead it. No one to help it rebuild. And Atsumu is in the mood to burn it all to the ground.

“Shall I ask Nightsky if they could deliver Asato to the Inarizaki office?” Shimizu asks, pushing her glasses up her nose. Sawamura has his arms locked across his chest. He nods. 

“Sure. They earned that, I guess.”

 

*

 

Tobio listens, tired but unable to sleep. He can’t, not as long Atsumu’s talking. There’s no rile in his voice to keep anyone from falling sideways into the next person and crash. There’s enough who have done so already. Tanaka, Nishinoya and Hinata are bundled up together for one. Yachi leans against Ennoshita, who put a domino effect to Narita and Kinoshita. His senpai are all awake, Sugawara yawning foremost. 

It’s plain as day; whatever keeps him awake from Atsumu’s voice is nothing but the power of… the power of his feelings for the man. It twists his heart, ruins his head, lays waste to common sense. Debates and counter-arguments spring to life in his heart, mind and soul,, and Tobio ignores them. He has no energy to fight.

Yet giving in seems impossible.

When the twins are done, Osamu joins his father. Without fear or shame, he cuddles up to the man, who wipes a tear away from his own face.

And Atsumu comes to Tobio. Not with ease. On instinct, rather. Wanting the things he shouldn’t be allowed to have. Tobio lets him have it. He’s too tired to fight, exhaustion gripping him as Atsumu slides in the empty spot besides him. There’s no words to exchange, with Atsumu’s mouth all dry, and Tobio not knowing what he could say. 

They fall asleep; Tobio’s head on Atsumu’s shoulder, and Atsumu’s head on his. A battle to be fought another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the comments from last chapter asked about the twin's dad's quirk and well :D I thought I mentioned it somewhere... but yeah he doesn't have one! Which is why their mother was basically the breadwinner of the family. I chose to let the fic do the talking (AS IT SHOULD). I will also release a tumblr post (I still have to type it all up ww) of everyone's quirks! Or at least... those I chose to give one/think of. It will be posted in the e/n of the next AND LAST??? chapter so please look forward to that (ง ื▿ ื)ว 
> 
> Anyway, I know these chapters aren't presented in perfection... there's all sorts of grammar mistakes and vagueness, added in with little mistakes... at least I hope I am not contradicting myself anywhere and that the plot and writing and happenings are all like they should be! If I see anything post hitting publish (as you know, is the norm of fics), I will edit it right away ( `ε´ )
> 
> Thank you all sosososoo much for reading and let me know what you thought of this!! I almost forgot about adding a powerful adversary in the prison outbreak, so first I added Sakusa, then Asato ww It's funny because I knew Bokuto would be there to help Hinata. Like, freaking Bokuto who is very cool and powerful.. like why?? just to blind some guards???


	9. The unknown horizon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> > Atsumu huffs, then looks from Ukai to Tobio. "...Do you... think I still got a chance with him?"
>> 
>> "That I dont know." Ukai laughs. "Man, I am never giving that kid spending money again. Telling him to have fun, hah!"
> 
> After the storm comes a silence. In it, the heroes can reflect.
> 
> Meetings with old acquaintances, contemplation under a brighter sky, a letter concerning matters of the heart; choices were made for better or worse. After the wild ride, Atsumu and Tobio come to terms were they stand with each other, and how to shape a future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... did absolutely not plan to release the 9th chapter on the 9th day ww Yay for Kageyama's jersey number!!
> 
> Anyway, wow. I don't even have words??? Like I honestly have no idea what to say. 
> 
> Except that Shimizu is a total badass. She is a fucking killer in every au I write her in, same as I make Tanaka super cool and strong. 
> 
> I just. Wow. I cannot believe I'm uploading the final chapter. It truly has been a roller coaster to write.  
> Please enjoy, and thank you all sosososoo much for reading. I'm insanely proud of this story, about the challenges I took on. I still believe I could have done more, make it cooler but... it's awesome. I am so happy, and I hope this ending will make everyone else happy too!!

Kiyoko finishes the report together with Koushi, as Tsukishima is out cold sleeping. Nishinoya put an eye mask on him, a funny type depicting frog eyes. As she types, edits, and categorizes, everyone else falls asleep too. Koushi is the last to go, offering his jacket to Kiyoko. He's too sleepy and forgot... Kiyoko's giggle is no louder than a whisper, more an exhale through the nose than anything else. The truck drives placidly over the asphalt, returning east. Or as far east as Kuroo will take them. Kuroo and Ukai are on driving duty, having seated Hinata in between to make sure he's stable.

Looking up from the tablet, Kiyoko watches her world at ease. They won not the war yet, but an important stage of it. Making no sound, she checks upon the temperature control system, slightly adjusting it with a flick of her fingertips. Sitting with less comfort as before, she smooths Koushi's jacket as a bundle to function as a cushion for her neck.

Swiping left on her tablet, she opens the social media sources on the Hyougo area they're leaving. Nothing of import or concern. There was no statement of Sakusa, no mention of escapees on the run. The more private communication sectors, opened up by Tsukishima's skill, were void of search warrant for either the twins, their father, or anyone from Kiyoko's agency. Bokuto tweeted out that there had been some hysteria in the Hyougo state prison. That he's been on vacation and thought to check it out. But all was in order. 

All was well. 

Never one to leave a peaceful situation up to chance to turn, Kiyoko takes matters into her own hands. As her team is sound asleep, she selects Sakusa's contact details. Plucking it right out of the Hero Association System. 

One of these days, they should get paid for being good people, let Tsukishima get a raise. The things he could do for the bad side... Kiyoko laughs again. They may wear black, and their methods were all brutish attack. But every single being in this truck was at heart a good person. Even the twins, who were victims of fate, loss, and taken into the wrong hands. Held hostage for years with their father's life on the line. They have listed their crimes, confessing every misdeed. Their information and insight not only into their own crime syndicate but also of others was most invaluable. It didn't clean the slate, that year-long smear created by deceit. Letting her head turn to the side, she takes in the view of Miya Atsumu sound asleep on Kageyama's shoulder. The other one lay near his father, upright and with crossed arms.

There were things each of them must decide for themselves. Kiyoko has made her peace. Circumstance and a higher power brought Kageyama and Miya together. What would keep them that way... it was not for her to judge or pass advice on. She knew better than most that Kageyama listened only to some words of wisdom, and only from selected members of the team. And Kiyoko didn't have much to say to him, the affairs of the heart not her forte.

Not sleepy, Kiyoko works on it, too. A proposal. Sakusa has answers her initial message, but its content were matters of discussion for when day break comes. 

As time passes, Kiyoko gets up to move, stretch her limbs as good as one can in a cramped and crowded place. She knocks on the panel between them and Kuroo, requesting a window. There, hidden over mountain hills and numerous forests, lay a sunrise in waiting.

An unknown horizon.

 

*

 

There's been a softness and simple pleasure in watching another person waken. Tobio never begrudged waking up after Atsumu, as the other would smile lovingly at him. In rare moments, Tobio would wake first, turning to Atsumu before his eyes even opened. Lying on their sides, or one of them on his back with a head tilt... Warm under covers, skins melting together as one being; obligations such as work and duty were simply forgotten in favour of the bliss their mornings held in store.

Far from Kyoto, away from beds and hotels and such simple matters, the steel truck evicts the idea of easy Sunday mornings. Atsumu leans back, eyes vacant. He stares at a spot on the opposite wall. Tobio sees that Kuroo added a window for once. Sunlight filters over it's rim, gently touching upon those on the far side without waking them yet.. Atsumu looks to his side when Tobio stirs, and Tobio doesn't know what to do with those vacant eyes, that long stare, the books full of longing written on Atsumu's face. He now leans into his space. Not with the ease of an lover. He carries himself with a hesitancy never put on display before. His lips press against Tobio's ear in a familiar manner still. 

"I am many things, and I can handle the abuse of words. But I am no quitter, Tobio. However if you want me to quit you, I shall do so." He's there and gone in the same moment it takes Tobio to realize the facts. They never have broken up, not officially. Turning sides. going bad, good, saving one's life. Time to consider where they would go, if a new start would be possible... It's been too hectic and blatantly too impossible to imagine. Atsumu wants him to have a choice, and to make it. 

"Give me time to think about it. I'm not... I'm not so sure about anything anymore," Tobio says, honest about his feelings which have created an entangled mess regarding the matter of Miya Atsumu.  
Their gauges need renewal. Narita drapes over Ennoshita, not up yet for the task. Tobio wouldn't trust his legs in this moment to take him anywhere else, anyway.

Time slips by, measured by the sunrays hitting his face, his chest, and moving to wake others from their slumbers. It becomes 7 a.m. before Kuroo lowers the metal panel.

"Our mutual friend has given Asato over to the Inarizaki office. They have received the entire load of information Shimizu-san sent during the night. He couldn't really understand the air over there, and says he and his partner will stay low in Hyougo for questioning," Kuroo says, relaying the messages from his phone. "There's also another matter... They found the hideout where they kept Kageyama. And uh with 'they' I mean Sakusa. He wants to talk to you. To all of you."

Uneasiness washes over Tobio, who gazes towards their leader. Sawamura nods, not to agree but that he understands. 

"Is it a long way?"

"No. we're in luck. That hideout was north-east of Lake Biwa. I just have to adjust which lane to take and we're on our way."

Sawamura returns Tobio's wish for eye contact. Wordless, he nods once more. "Kuroo, take us there, please."

"Are you sure?" Atsumu asks, his words just meant for Tobio. The latter nods. He has to face demons as if they're being placed on a luggage belt. And he has to see to every luggage that isn't his own until he finds the one that is. 

"Don't worry, Tobio. I'll destroy that place if you want! I'm supercharged," Nishinoya raises his fist, cackling thunder. He's being reprimanded for using his quirk on such close proximity to others. The little lightning bolts run over his hand, then cease to exist due to the uproar. It's the usual, old chaos, awakening everyone. Sugawara calls over to Kuroo, who creates windows to let more natural light in.

"Next place that sells food, you stop okay? We all need a proper breakfast."

"Did someone say breakfast?" Miya Osamu and his father say in almost the same pitch, the son wiping sleep from his eyes as the father stretches his arms.  
Normalcy returns, acting as if the silent hours before didn't exist. Tobio feels the itch in his wings, unsure if he wants to know what they'd tell him. 

 

*

 

The place was in shadows during Tobio's short capture here, or so Atsumu was told. He couldn’t imagine, as he’s never been to this place. Now the all-white walls seem so stark, even more fear-inducing. The equipment fried, parts of the ceiling having fallen down on it. The high tech isn't too interesting, as they have served to contain and hurt Tobio. Tsukishima puts his feelers out, raising a palm towards it. Whatever he reads from it doesn't please him too much, and he halts the information flow. 

"Positions," Sawamura commands, turning his back to the wall. Most of the equipment has been too heavy for the scientist to take away when they left. At the moment, they were rounded up by Kita's team, with minor help from Nekoma. Kuroo left with Ukai, stowing their father away for safe-keeping. The truck would be out of view, the Crow Agency’s best kept secret. The same crows who now stand together, haphazard and at leisure, facing the double doors. Atsumu cannot believe to be standing among them, to be protected by them. Tobio's unease comes out from his wings, free to move in the wider space. Atsumu reflects on it, fidgeting. 

Once or twice he has touched them now, and Tobio’s gaze, so void of anything, gave him no indication whatsoever.

Sakusa's voice echoes from the hall before he enters, sending an unpleasant chill up Atsumu’s spine. _So that’s how it feels like, huh…_

"I came a long way and am the most eager to hear a good explanation for this," Sakusa says, coming through the double doors, Komori in tow. They do not look worse for wear. Whatever fight the four heroes held in the prison yesterday didn't leave much marks on these two. Atsumu finds himself relaxing, seeing the same happen to Tobio’s wings. "And oh, what a surprise. You still parade the twins around without handcuffs of other safety issues taken care off. Surely Miyagi folk are some freaking thrill-seekers."

Komori snickers for the entire second it takes for Sawamura to reply. Then his smile is gone.

"Kita Shinsuke will have a report for you. Or you can work together with him and find out," Sawamura says, first and foremost shield of his agency, he stands in front of them all. He'd never have to ask for unyielding trust. Atsumu came to understand. They all did as they were told, knowing it would work out.

"Psawh, leave me alone with that crap. I'm done working with outside forces. Unreliable, untrustworthy, backstabbing assholes. All of them," Sakusa's eyes glance to Tobio, who stands proud. Atsumu thinks Tobio has every right to second-guess the decisions he made to allow Atsumu back into his circle. Now he stands proud, wide, unquestioning loyalty oozing from the ridge of his wings. They had too little time to act, to explain, to bring Sakusa in when he's been at the hospital. Komori sighs, showing he's not of the same mind as Sakusa, but cannot persuade him to mince his words. Tobio nods a greeting to Komori, seemingly glad its returned when Sakusa looks at the white domed place. 

"I didn't come all this way to chit-chat or hear excuses, anyway. And your advice, Sawamura, can go fuck itself. I don't care who you are or what you can do. Move one piece of stone, and I'll have you locked up with the rest of your team," Sakusa growls, his hands deep in his pockets. There's a click of a switch, and nearby equipment switching on to a black screen. Atsumu recognizes a tape close by it. Sakusa mean to record whatever they're going to say next.  
He comes closer to the team; no one moves. Atsumu cannot even hear fabric rustling. {“God, this is so tense. Glad we’re not again on the receiving side of their anger,”} Osamu lets him know.

Sawamura told them to stand down no matter what, so standing down is what they did. Even the teeth of those that would grind them in anger are still. The instructions were clear; they were allowed to show off power— such as Tobio's wings, Yamaguchi's spear, or Tanaka having his hands dipped in gold —but they weren't to engage. Merely look cool and imposing. Atsumu remembers the face Tobio made about 'looking cool'. But he keeps the mirth off his face in sight of imminent danger.

"Threaten my friends once more, Glove. I dare you," Sawamura smiles. No ground moves below their feet, but the threat of it rumbles in Sawamura’s low tone of voice. Moments pass, and Sakusa decides against a foolish move. 

"What I would like to know... villains and assholes aside... Can someone please explain to me how self-healing wings that pack a punch as strong as mine, a man who can cause earthquake, a half-pint sized guy who can cause thunderstorms, a high-level on-profiled kid in glasses of what powers he possesses nobody fucking knows, _the fucking Descendant himself_ , and a kid that could obliterate the universe by creating his hero namesake in the palms of his hands, all decided to be at Miyagi together at the same time?" Sakusa looks to Komori. "Did I miss something?"

Komori steps from one foot to the other. "A quirk enhancer, a doctor, someone who can go through and manipulate elements like glass, wood and paper... I think one of them can alter temperatures. But my sources do not know who. Ah, and you completely forgot Spear-point." 

Sakusa rolls his eyes towards the mob, shaking his head. "Impossible. Why the hell did you all agree to go to Miyagi?"

"We didn't 'go'; we hail from there. Same neighbourhood, mostly,” Sugawara says, pride and laughter accompanying his words.

"Mostly," echoes Tsukishima, nudging Hinata's side. So much for standing down... well talking was allowed, Atsumu guesses.

Shimizu's eyes switch from Kinoshita who redoes Yachi's braid, to Yamaguchi taps his shoulder with his spear, towards Komori and lastly, Sakusa. She looks him dead in the eye as she speaks. 

"Because birds of a feather always flock together. It's simple matters of instinct and survival. And we might not be birds per se... our flock is still a murder." Shimizu steps forward, raising her arms to chest-height. Then, palm down, she lowers her them, dropping the room temperature. Around Hinata is a faint glow, keeping his associates warm. Sakusa must feel the blood freeze in his veins. Literally. They didn't call her the Ice Queen for nothing. "And you'd best not try to tear us apart. I recently was able to form an ice pick at par in length and ferocity as Spear-point's. You wouldn't want to mess with that." 

The recording equipment freezes too, sparking it's last death throws. Next to Sakusa, Komori shivers. "H-he was the o-one i-insulting you, n-n-not me!"

Sakusa stares at Shimizu, finally understanding who can change the temperature. "I know who you are."

"Clever boy. I do not often show my abilities without my cover and costume in place. And it takes a looot to anger me, you know? Types like you draw it out so easily... when people point at our agency and use the term 'Miyagi' folk, or think we just house a couple of powerful names," Shimizu says, lowering the temperature enough to make Sakusa reel back with shakes. His shoulders shudder, involuntary. "Elements bow to our will; ours is the sky, the land, the woods. We decide when it's night, when it's day. Temperatures drop and rise by a snap of our fingers. Whatever wall is built wasn't made uncross-able for our kind." 

Shimizu looks to Azumane, then to Yamaguchi. Frost lies as a sheen over her face, a possible throwback from using her quirk. But she doesn't change the temperature on the other side of the room. "We pierce them down, we go through them. We raze it all if necessary. Technological advances are always on our side. There's no storm strong enough to make us fear going through it. Call us names, but if we are one thing, its Daredevils. Crows. And we do not know another authority than law, as long as law agrees that citizen's safety is the most important."

She turns her palms up, raising her arms. Slowly, the ice disappears. No one could ever liken her quirk to Todoroki Shouto's. Shimizu's had a lot more elegance to it, less destructive power. It was a flower hiding a serpent. Sugawara steps forth, touching her shoulder. 

"There's many things you want an explanation for, same as us. If you sit down and be reasonable," Sugawara starts, falling into his good cop role. Sawamura stands next to him, arms glued together over his chest. "And _listen_... I know it will be hard. It was hard for us too. And we care more about Kageyama than you could even imagine."

Sakusa scoffs at the idea of emotions and feelings, but steps forward as the temperature returns to normal.

"So what? Because Kageyama and Miya are an item, we will just gloss over _years_ of being led around and lied to?"

An item, present tense. Atsumu wishes.

"It weren't years that happened to you, just months. Tense months, I give you that. The truly duped are with Kita-san's office," Sawamura says, his eyes off to the side. There had been a phone call before they entered the complex. Words Atsumu and Osamu didn’t quite get. Soon, the person Sawamura talked to would arrive. It was just a matter of moments. "And I arranged to talk to him personally."

Komori's nose scrunches. "I do not agree that you of all people are handling everything. After all, it was us who the damage was done to. And just for argument's sake, Sakusa meant the general 'us' who were deceived." 

Outside, a helicopter sounds. 

"Oh I can't believe it. You brought them _here_ " Sakusa says, his face one of disgust as if smelling some rotten eggs.

"I didn't bring anyone, given that I have my hands full with my team and the twins already. Whoever is out there chose their own method of transportation. And well, it's up to you if you'd face them _and_ us. Remember your own words; remember who you're facing now and choose if it’s worth testing strengths," Sawamura widens his feet just a bit, positioning himself a little more in front of the twins. Atsumu would be touched by the display if it weren’t for those helicopter blades from above. "The Miyas stay with us."

Sakusa's scowl is one of unknown proportions. Atsumu doesn't have to fear it long. Seeing sense of numbers, quirks, and the facts that Komori and Sakusa himself had been hospitalized, they capitulate.

"Fine. Don't ever ask a favour in the future. Best you'd forget my addresses also, and means to contact me. All means to contact me, you hear that, Eclipse? I don't want anything to do with a single of your crazy crows." Sakusa turns, his long black coat. It wooshes past Komori, who doesn't move. Sakusa doesn't call for him, either. 

Komori steps forward, less afraid of the quirks he's facing. His eyes go from Tobio to Atsumu.

"I thought we were friends." The disappointment hurts more than the underlying accusation. Atsumu would have preferred the latter. Atsumu feels Tobio’s gaze on him. Knows that anyone who takes a peek now would see how shame washes over his features. He bites his lips.

"Most of the time, I believe we were, too. I am sorry, Komori," Atsumu says, not sure if he was allowed to speak. Komori shifts from one foot to the other, eyes going to Osamu. His brother is not better off, except that there’s no redness in his face. The lucky bastard had more ease controlling his outward facial expressions.

"I could explain but... there's a lot of other people who stand in line to hear it. Pretty sure we'll get time anyway, so you can visit me." Osamu shrugs his shoulders, not knowing what else to add. Komori nods, contemplating.

"All right. See you around, I guess. I am my own man, okay! I don't have to do or agree with all Sakusa says and... and I know you were rescuing your father. Anyway!" Komori puffs out his shoulders, then turns to follow his friend. "And hey, Kageyama? You're always welcome at my place, alright? I am sure you've got a good story to tell. Don't be a stranger!"

A weight must leave Tobio. Atsumu watches the wings rise and spread a little, as soon as Komori is out of the door. Always so showy with his emotions, Atsumu thinks.

"Well that was fun," Atsumu says, unsure of where to go next. The helicopter blades rotate high above them. Tobio watches the twins look at it, apprehension making them swallow dry air. They do not want to know how many people of their ex-team would await them outside. Atsumu wants to leave this place, wished he could take the route out as Tobio did, through the ceiling. 

"Visual?" Sawamura asks his phone, and Kuroo's voice answers.

_"Weasels are well on their way. Probably to the metropole. I saw Sakusa's car and some luggage on the backseat."_

"Right, thanks Kuroo," Sawamura says, his head turning over his shoulder. "Move out, nice and quiet. This is not our mess to clean, nor to destroy." The team files out to Sawamura's orders, some like Nishinoya and Tanaka less pleased. Atsumu can understand. He wants to physically destroy this place too, but his quirk could only enhance the anger in others. Still, he files out with the rest of them. Osamu bumps his shoulders.

“Well that wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

 

*

 

Kita is here. 

Atsumu's eyes immediately go to Sawamura, who should have warned them. A knowing smile and crossed arms display him at ease, favouring his position of power and the situation he just plunged the twins headfirst into. But when he steps out of the helicopter, no one follows behind. He flew it himself over here. 

Gaping, Atsumu says, "You lied to Sakusa."

"Bended the truth a little. Did I say multiple of foxes? Whoops. Anyway, I told I'd put a good word in," Sawamura says, withdrawing from this reunion by means of a couple of steps. Atsumu cannot see Tobio anywhere, and when his eyes glance upon Kita... he quickly looks to the ground. He notices Osamu in the same stance; shoulder low, head bowed, eyes downcast. 

"I would have at least expected an apology, if not a greeting. That's alright. Neat trick using a voice recording and the headphones. I had the most relaxing sleep." Neither of them laugh. Atsumu hadn't seen anyone else, and as the thought crosses his mind, Kita sighs to answer. The same reasonable voice, all calm. "Suna and Gin wanted to come, but I told them to stay back. There's enough commotion here with the crows, don't you agree?"

Atsumu's voice comes out at a croak. A word might have been hidden in there. Kita doesn't ask. He turns to Sawamura.

"You arresting them?"

"Sorta. For now. Ukai thought it was a good idea to keep the twins somewhere safe. A non-threat to others, and able to be safe themselves." Sawamura says, standing with his back mostly to Kageyama and the twins. "There's a lot of dirt to go through, and we dumped all that on you. We thought the foxes might want to go through it, as it is your prefecture. Given that my team isn't officially 'here'."

"And never was. I am just taking a stroll, and I had a pleasant call with you," Kita smiles. "That was quite an extensive list of names, hideouts, code words and methods you two created. I think we all wished it would have come sooner rather than later. Alas, certain things cannot be rushed. Such as trust. You've lost it, for now. But maybe... maybe it can be mended. It's up to you two how you want to live the rest of your lives. Let me know when you've reached a conclusion. I cannot promise anything."

At last Osamu finds his voice, and his courage.

"Isnt it Sakusa's job?"

"Sakusa doesn't want anything to do with it," Kita says, and Atsumu looks him in the eyes, too. "He has quite enough of Kansai, I gather. Wants his salty foods back, I guess."

This gives the twins cause for a small laugh. Sawamura merely rolls his eyes. "You come to my neck of the woods and try shoyu ramen before mocking our salt value, Kita."

"I shall, Sawamura. Keep these two out of trouble for me." Kita turns to him, a slight nod. The twins watch their former leader and superior go, with all the grace the gods bestowed someone his size. There's so much more Atsumu wants to say, and he feels the same going through Osamu. Yet they keep it to themselves, waiting for another, better moment. 

 

*

 

Kiyoomi and Motoya are on the ride home, taking the car. He wasn't one for road trips, and he had his car shipped here from Tokyo. Yet when most of the paperwork (a thin pile) was created, Kiyoomi has told the chief of police that he'd made one last attempt to find the criminals. Or else fire himself from the team.

Motoya can relax at last After fighting Starlight (who was strangely familiar to him...), and having his moves calculated by Nightsky, the four of them came to the conclusion that fighting was unnecessary. That much became clear when Nightsky gave a signal and took Starlight out of the brawl which was mostly a light show and Kiyoomi punching either air or stone. That last item, as well as the destruction done to Hyougo state prison, has Motoya wonder about repair costs.

"Don't know, don't care. Ukai... the older one, keeps saying that he didn't know where his agency has gone off to. Yet a donation was made in his name to Hyougo prefecture. Children's shelters, rehab centers, and the fucking prison. A good sum, too. Says the syndicate will add to it. As if they'd find them..."

"What if the twins... told the crows? Everything? Maybe they're working together to bring this case to a close..." Motoya muses, looking at the view. Lake Biwa is so beautiful, yet they hadn't visited it one time during their stay close to it. Such a waste. "I don't know, it feels so weird to just... leave. Seems like we lost so much. Are you sure we cannot do anything about the Crow Agency keeping the twins? We do not even know what they're gonna do with them."

Even though Miya Osamu hinted at prison time. Motoya just wasn't sure Kageyama would hand Miya Atsumu over to the authorities. Not after everything he's witnessed this week. His head hurts from overthinking...

"Nothing. We're done here. Office is clean, police can make calls to the Ukai family and their little black organization, or hell. Go to Kita himself, who hoarded the twins before. Kyoto address will be cleaned by our house lady. I miss fucking Tokyo. The simpleness and ease. This deep-cover work is not for me," Kiyoomi finishes at last, rolling their windows down. Wind pushes at their hair, the least amount of annoying on this cold October day. 

"And the twins?"

"I don't care. they got a guardian angel whose wings are black. I don't want nothing to do with them anymore. And Sawamura is surely planning something. He decided meeting place, put his back to the wall, allowed us to find him. And for what? Mockery and the show of power. Hiding for them is as easy as breathing, and if they decide to hide the twins... it's their responsibility. I don't want to think about it anymore. I want the easy assignments back in the metropole again."

Motoya couldn't agree more. Having Kiyoomi take care of everything had been fun, and a longer assignment in another city had been on his wish-list. But well... "Be careful what you wish for," Motoya says to the wind, earning the first laugh from Kiyoomi in days. 

Back to Tokyo it is, with the illusion that they weren't running with their tails between their legs.

 

*

 

It may be the last sunny day in October, this side of Tokyo for sure. The hill knows a gentle breeze, moving grass. There's no trees close to them. Azumane helps Kuroo design the inside of the truck for the way home. Nishinoya and Hinata charge the truck, to give them all the energy and power to support every single comfort. Tsukishima, well-rested, designs built-in TVs, allocates Wi-Fi and satellite connections. On top of the truck, Yachi is drawing the scenery, occasionally watched by Tanaka and Yamaguchi who flank her sides. 

"What about the Tokyo threat teaming up with a syndicate? The League of Villains are not so easily swayed to give up after they lost this one connection," Ennoshita says, his words meant for Sugawara.

Sugawara just shrugs, weary but not without a smile. "Problem for another day. And I guess even for other heroes."

Standing close enough to hear but not being part of the conversation, Tobio turns the slightest to give his opinion on the matter.

"Whatever comes may bide its time, hoping to get stronger. Good will always rise up against it," Tobio says, not bothered. His wings have been feeling better, the pain and confusion at least out of the feathery system. The rest of Tobio's body and mind wasn't yet up to the task to cleanse itself. And it was so much harder to do with Atsumu being close, as well. Especially when he snorts a typical response.

"You're the same as ever, Tobio." The laugh disappears, as if knowing it has no right to be so happy. Not yet. Atsumu looks from Tobio to Sugawara and Ennoshita, then to his brother. 

Nearby, Ukai stands with a police officer and two black vans. It's heavy on Tobio's heart, but after everything that happened, daylight showed the value of their decisions, and the consequences everyone must face. Kuroo had agreed to bring them all the way back to Sendai, and enter a two-week training camp with the older Ukai to see what else he could transform his metal into. He was keen on a helicopter after seeing Kita fly one.

But first, the matter of the twins has reached its peak of patience.

 

*

 

The reunion couldn't have lasted long, anyway. Atsumu hugs his father good bye. Ukai had been so kind to manage the relocation of their old man towards Iwate, close to the prefecture border of Miyagi. A long process and progress awaits him, and for the first few months, their father would still be alone. Honest work and freedom should keep him occupied. Ukai said that a man by the name of Takeda would help him and stay with their father.

"And you are sure you can't come, neither of you?" 

Atsumu steps out of his father's arms, letting Osamu continue the hug as he speaks. "Sorry, dad. There's... a bunch of stuff we have to take care of. We'll follow as soon as we can."

It may take half a year, or years... Ukai promised visits, the twins going to their father. 

They watch their father step into the first black van. It has multiple protection, humane, technological, and hero-like. Atsumu glimpses Nightsky, who waves at the crow agency. He and Starlight would take care of their father, be on the same flight towards Tokyo. From there, Takeda would help him further north-east. He'd be under constant protection, and safe from cameras or eyes. No one at the prison missed his record, given that it was illegally made, and illegally deleted.

Waving his father off, Atsumu turns to Ukai.

"Thanks for not putting us in chains for him to see. He doesn't... know everything and. Well." The words stop in his throat. Osamu was right when he said there was a wait list of people who wanted them to talk and convey everything. Their father shouldn't be low on that list...

"You two have been co-operating nicely. No need for chains." A nod of his head, and Ukai makes all the crows dispatch. Tanaka jumps off the truck, Yamaguchi on top of him, and they help Yachi down. Most preparations seem to be done, and the agency under Sawamura's command files into the truck. Whoever has been within hearing distance of the twins and Ukai has gone elsewhere. Even Tobio, who was hovering close, found another path of grass to stand on, out of earshot. Ukai puts up a smoke.

And then he does the strangest thing.

“I hadn’t had the time yet but, I need to apologize to you two. I’m sorry. All of this could have been prevented…” Ukai says, giving a heartfelt apology to Atsumu and Osamu. For a moment, Atsumu is too stunned. Of all the things he's been ready to hear and to endure, he wasn't expecting this. 

Exhaling smoke, Ukai's eyes turn skywards. "I was on my first hero mission on my internship. I didn't want any favours from my grandfather's buddies up north, didn't want to go to the busy center of our country. So I went west. A friend of mine who teaches at Nekoma's school for heroes was there also. Kobe, that is. A case of two boys missing, twins. Father had done dirty work at the wrong side of the law and went to prison. Mother was believed dead for years. No relatives had any contact with the man, who we weren't allowed to visit and question."

Ukai takes another inhale before he continues to speak. "No one knew who took those twins. Nobuyuki, my friend from Nekoma, found out on the last day of our internship that the two buys were sons of a well-known and respected hero. Her identity had been so well hidden that no one else figured it out. 

"Your neighbours were a close to the chest kinda bunch, didn't want to rat any of you out or spread rumours. They were worried, too. You'd been 10 or 11, without parents. And I couldn't find you... The hero system fucked up. Your mother's anonymity was sacred, but it should have been easier known post-mortem that her family needed help. I am so sorry that I failed you both. It wasn't easy to make Sawamura hold back and I didn't tell him what I told you just now. In fact, I didn't tell anyone, ever." 

When Atsumu connects to Osamu, he finds the same awkward void. Someone had tried to help, but wasn't in a position to do much. Fate and chance had been cruel to them. 

"You tried taking a bullet for Kageyama, knowing he could heal himself. It won't be forgotten. You played the game too well and almost handed him to the villains. Yet both of you made sure he had a way out, too. It counts for something. I'll make sure to give you two the help you deserved all those years ago. Whatever decisions you made, even if they were wrong... Heroes should have prevented this from happening. So I will make amends on my part, as long as you two keep to the straight and narrow path."

"Th... thank you," Osamu says, then goes to the second van on his own account. Before he gets in, he turns to the metal construction on wheels. All of the crows and Kuroo have turned to watch him go. He makes one final, low bow of thanks, then steps inside the vehicle.

{"Say your goodbyes, and don't chicken out, brother."}

["Shut up, I'm on it."] Atsumu huffs, then looks from Ukai to Tobio. "...Do you... think I still got a chance with him?"

"That I don't know." Ukai laughs. "Man, I am never giving that kid spending money again. Telling him to have fun, hah!"

Ukai gives Atsumu a pat on his shoulder. Atsumu manages a smile, then sees Sugawara gravitating towards him. Tobio's mentor, when he was around his friends, has a whole different demeanor than when he's serious. There's a quiet ability in him that cannot be grasped, only looked at. He seems at ease and unafraid, knowing all his friends have his back. Atsumu knows that of all the people, he could ask Sugawara for a favour.

"I told Kageyama to stand back a little. We'll be off in a moment, and he'll oversee safe transport. But he's under strict orders that conversation between you two will happen now and not afterwards. At least, not for today. There's... too much stuff unclear and he has to figure it out himself. Anyway, Shimizu sent me. She said you asked for a pen, paper, and an envelope?"

Atsumu smiles. "Yes, I did." He hands Sugawara the letter he wrote after meeting Kita. What he wanted to say to Tobio has been on his mind for so long. Not a moment of true peace passed in the events following their fight in the hotel room, which seems so long ago now. He watches Tobio, putting on visor, readying himself for a flight. Atsumu knows he yearns for one, welcomes the change of scenery. Up in the sky, Tobio's head would clear. Especially with Atsumu stowed away in the van below...

"You can be the judge of timing. But would you consider giving this to him? I'd prefer it only to be read by Tobio-kun. It's not as if I could stop any of you to read and tear it apart, of course." Atsumu knows its a possibility. Something in Sugawara's manner tells him however, that the letter would be safe with him. Putting on an act, Sugawara considers the envelope, playing tough to sway. He's not so good at it as Sawamura, though. 

"Sure, I'll do it. As soon as you guys are delivered."

 

*

 

The van's side door shuts with a click. Koushi makes Daichi halt it before it drives off. Tobio seems ready to fly, but Koushi takes him aside by his arm sleeve. Tobio is someone who needs direct communication and likes it when words aren't minced. Koushi doesn't hold back.

"Can you just tell me, or well, explain one thing... Why him?" Koushi asks, knowing Daichi stands close, as much wishing to hear the facts as anyone else here. Instead, Daichi moves away before Tobio answers, giving them space. Ennoshita would have asked made it a more private meeting. Alas, Koushi held a letter in his pockets. And with Tobio going to fly and oversee the van... there was no better timing than now. 

"He saw me for who I am. With all my faults and sharp edges. It wasn't... it still isn't so that I think 'he's the one', as you and Nishinoya-san would call it. It's more him believing that I am 'his' one," Tobio says, his honest opinion giving Koushi room to think. He nods slowly.

"I see. And that makes all the difference?" 

"All the difference in the world, yes. Tanaka-san once said its not the people who like you at your best, but those who like you at your worst. Those that love and accept all your imperfections. Those were 'keepers', he said. I have seen the absolute worst of Atsumu. And yet I cannot make myself hate him or forget him. It's another imperfection of mine, perhaps," Tobio says, watching Daichi signal the van to start up slow. Tobio's wings rustle, not just eager to go. Koushi knows he doesn't want to be parted from Miya Atsumu, who will go to jail until the mess is sorted. Until all their information has proven helpful.

It was just Tobio's luck to chose someone from the bad side, Koushi believes. Although he didn't simply choose to love. Not before. He made that choice now. 

"Well, guess it's an all or nothing game, then. Hey, Daichi! Tanaka deserves a raise. He's an actual enlightened being!" Koushi calls over his shoulders, earning a few laughs from those that here. In a swift move, he takes the letter and hands it over to Tobio, without anyone else seeing. Misdirection at its best. "Here, for you. He wanted you to have it."

Tobio puts the letter away without looking, then his visor zooms over his face. As the van gathers speed, Tobio's wings beat, and he takes off from the ground. Koushi sighs. There's nothing he could have done different or should have said. It was a matter between Tobio and Atsumu, after all. None of them had a say in it.

 

*

 

Tobio flies over the van, watching it go through several security gates. He could have made room for proper goodbyes, or even—yet under the watchful eye of his entire team, Tobio decides that the weight of an envelope against his chest is burden enough. Atsumu seems content, sitting in the van, not even looking outside. The flight to Shizuoka had been pleasant, calming his head. Yet Tobio would take the long way home.

In the end, not everyone boards Kuroo's truck. Nishinoya and Tanaka decide on an impromptu holiday towards Shizuoka's seaside, vowing to watch a flight back in a couple of days. Kuroo would drop of those who had cars left in Tokyo, who do not want to stay in a crowded truck too long. When he meets up with the team and Kuroo, he tells Yamaguchi as much. 

"I want to see the scenery the way ordinary people do," Tobio says into his visor. His well-meaning catches on with Yamaguchi, who laughs. Yamaguchi, who has to persuade Tsukishima. The latter has so much already, and suffers sigh after sigh before agreeing to make sure Tobio won't get lost. Ukai thinks it's a bad idea, but in the list of bad decisions, not the worst Tobio makes. Yamaguchi laughs, agreeing, the last to enter the truck and seeing Tobio off.

He watches them go, his heart full. Tadashi, Kei, Hitoka, and Shouyou. His senpai, and his hero trainer Ukai. He wouldn't know where he'd be without them. 

When at last he is alone, Tobio walks back and forth. The truck had gone private routes, taking longer. Under Tsukishima's cover, they weren't found on radars. There was a lot they had to do to keep their expedition secret, but at least other heroes wouldn't intervene. As such, Tobio finds himself alone in a secluded area. The envelope is thick, unopened. Sugawara gave it to him as soon as Tobio landed earlier.

Sighing, he takes out the papers, three in total. He steadies his heart, makes himself read slowly.

It started with 'My love'.

 

*

 

The paper knew many mistakes, and out-crossed words and lines. Tobio reads poetry, jokes on the side-lines. Atsumu having a dialogue with himself on the third piece of paper. An ode to Tobio's... body and their love-making. Yet this last part was where Atsumu couldn't even finish writing. What he will do if he'd never see Tobio again.

Never. It was a harsh word, one Tobio didn't like. Instead, he looks at the signature at the end of the letter.

_Yours, always_

_Atsumu_

"Mine, always," Tobio says out loud. He faces the skies, unsure if he can walk or even fly. Whatever he hopes to gain by being alone and helping to think becomes numb. Closing his eyes, he spreads his wings. Brows furrow. He feels one side the mass of friends on the move. Somewhere closer, Tanaka and Nishinoya.

And somewhere in a prison, a single of his feathers. Its signal louder than any other. He's never felt this kind of pull, this kind of response of his feathers. His wings beat once, eager to go. It's clear what his heart wants. Tobio thinks it's idiotic that after everything, Atsumu still has his feather. That no one took it from him. And how it seems to say the same message as the letter.

 

*

 

He clears his vacation days with Ukai. It actually had been sanctioned before Tobio even asks for it. Takeda has taken him off the roster for now. Of all the places Tobio could be going, he returns to where his heart is.

Stolen and kept. Unable to retrieve. 

Security doors open with a swipe of a card, and Tobio is brought to the inner center of Shizuoka prefecture prison. There’s a couple, divided to quirk, non-quirk, small scale and large scale offenders. The one Sawamura chose was small in size, housing just a couple of quirk-users. The hallways, bright walls and grain wood accents, seem almost too pretty to be in a place like this. His shoes squeak over the linoleum, the tips of wings hovering just a bit above ground.

It’s different from Hyougo, or the cells in the Kyoto police department. Half walls reach Tobio’s chest, the upper half a grid-line of bars. There’s access points for trays of food and even laundry. Thick walls separate the lower level. From the grid, Osamu’s face stares back.

“Oh, hey,” he says. Tobio doesn’t know if Osamu enables a link with Atsumu, but he hopes it can be kept a surprise. Tobio nods.

“How’s Sunny-guy doing?” Osamu says, making Tobio wonder why of all the people… he shakes his head.

“He’s fine. Glad to be home, I’m sure. The nurses were made he left off without a goodbye party.”

“…I bet,” Osamu says, and there’s a hint of lie in his voice. Tobio doesn’t attend him to it. He glances past a corner, anxious to see Atsumu. The prison cells of the twins had a dividing wall in between, with a door to visit each other if the feel like it. They had spacious rooms, carpet and curtains, wide window made of bulletproof glass. Gravitating towards the next cell, Tobio hears Osamu slink off to what he was doing before.

Both the twins were reading. Tobio finds Atsumu in a lounge chair, deep in thought. The light shines on his blond hair. From this distance, and for the first time since they met, Tobio sees black roots surfacing on the crown. He cannot remember when Atsumu bleached his hair last, the memory not in his mind. 

Osamu didn’t alert him. Tobio rasps his voice, eliciting a soft sound from Atsumu, who then continues to stare at him. Wide eyes, slightly open mouth, he’s the picture of surprise. Tobio looks to the side where the guard on duty stands to attention. He nods his head, then enters the shrill-sounding, opening doorway. Door falling close behind him with a click, Tobio knows he’s for a few moments a prisoner too. His cage however, is one without a key. 

“I… did not expect you. So soon, at least,” Atsumu croaks, setting his book aside. “Please, sit. If you want to. Eh, they gave us a tea set each.”

Atsumu hurries to brew one anew. His own cup, 1/3 filled, has lost its steam. He drinks it with a grimace. _So many things I don’t know about him,_ Tobio thinks to himself as walks over to the table. They had tea a couple of times before, and a standard during breakfast together in the hotel. Tobio was happy enough with any house blend that wasn’t too fancy.

“You’re happy to see me. I wasn’t expecting that either,” Atsumu says, back turning to the table where a water cooker begins to make noise. He glances at Tobio’s wings with a triumphant smile. Staring at the table, Tobio ruffles his wings backwards, trying to keep them in order. Then he finally sits down at the offered seat. Besides the lounge chair, and at the small square table two regular chairs. He doesn’t like having such a ‘tell’, how easy it is for Atsumu to figure out his honest feelings. But Atsumu has been good at deciphering him. Always.

Tobio realizes he hasn’t said a word to him yet. He meets Atsumu’s face. 

“You look…regenerated.” Tobio would have said the word ‘good’ if he wasn’t a chicken. Behind Atsumu, the boiler is done heating the water. Atsumu gives him that small, breathy laugh. All confidence, pierced with just minor insecurities. He turns the water cooker off, pushes his hand through his hair. 

“I feel better. Wished we had a hair salon in here.” 

“Yeah, I can see that,” Tobio looks at the black roots. Atsumu bites his bottom lip. They haven’t been truly alone ever since… he doesn’t want to think about it anymore. He made enough decisions in the past that have led him here. To watch Atsumu pour two cups of tea and set one before him. To see how the same hand hesitates to pull back, indecisive if touches were allowed or not. 

Atsumu’s hand go around his cup without ever attempting a breach. He’s still walking on tip-toes, and Tobio doesn’t like it.

“…Sooo… did you… read my letter?” The nonchalance is betrayed by a quiver in Atsumu’s voice. Tobio takes the cup, smells the tea. He knows it’s too hot still, that he’d burn his lips. There’d be a painful sting in his throat. Yet he takes a sip anyway, unable to consider the proper answer. Because he did read the entire letter.

Closing his eyes, he visualizes it. 

_My love,_

_I know I have no right to call you this, or by any other name. Reflecting on what I have done and what I will do, I also know that I have never been happier than when I was with you. I swear it on my mother's grave; when I said that I love you, I meant it. Every single time. I wanted to tell you what kind of monster I am, the things I've done. I wanted to be free, to run away with you. As much as I was dreaming, I kept lying and betraying you, not having the courage and fearing the consequences that would come to my father and my brother if I'd left them._

_Yet this stupid, irrational, idealistic part of me still wants to be with you. I know you won't consort with criminals. The thing is, I do want to be a hero. I do want to be worthy of you and your love. It may take months and years before I am a respectable citizen, and you can easily do a lot better than, well with me._

_I have no right to ask this of you. If, however, there's even a grain of doubt, a grain of love, a grain of trust left._

_Please consider staying in love with me._

_If I will never see you again, I will_

_Yours, always_

_Atsumu_

 

“What would you have done if I never wanted to see you again?”

Atsumu looks from Tobio to the cup. He taps the rim with his finger, creating no music with it. “Kept my distance. Leave you alone.”

“And what would have happened to you?”

“…Dunno. Sadness and loneliness of the likes I’d never known before,” Atsumu says, lifting the cup to his lips. Tobio muses once more, ‘his, always’. Could he really believe that? The thought stops. Tobio sets aside the doubt and the rational reasoning. His wings lift him, and he walks over to Atsumu.

Anticipating him for no reason than hope and wishful thinking, Atsumu lets go of his cup and leans back, creating the space for Tobio to sit on his lap. Legs slide over thighs until both of Tobio’s connect with Atsumu’s. It’s the old routine of one set of hands going behind a neck, another settling on the hips. Muscle-memory, muscle-wanton, the knowledge that he cannot hate Atsumu, not after the cage broke loose around his wings. That even if he’d fly far away, he’d return to this strong beacon. The single feather he gave Atsumu out of suspicion, finally not beating like a heart from where he pulled it out.

Peace and quiet after the storm. When all he wants is to dive down the tornado that Atsumu represents. 

Tobio’s brows furrow, his thumbs running the sides of Atsumu’s jawline. "I thought I'd think you repulsive."

"The crossing lines must have influenced that thought," Atsumu laughs, helplessly awkward and visibly in pain. He still leans back in his chair, his arms at ease, elbows low. He doesn’t move a hand; glad he can just touch his palms to Tobio’s sides. 

"It didn't suit you. Being repulsive. And I didn't want you ugly," Tobio says, his voice stopping short. He was never good at flirting, and his attempts were mostly a disaster. Atsumu’s face falls when he asks his next question, as if Tobio’s answer could crumble him— _yet they’d rise from the broken brick and stone, to reshape a wall, a house, a place for their love to flourish. everything went down around him but they’re still here, body to body, wanting and—_ Tobio’s hands go down to the chest, where a strong beating heart pounds against his palms.

"...You want me still?" Atsumu asks, his Adam’s apple going up and down as he cannot keep the plead out of his voice.

Tobio has looked into this matter with his mind and his gut feeling. He got a headache and his twisting stomach couldn't make up its mind either. Atsumu's loving eyes are the same as at the clearing, the same he shown in bed and on missions. A softer version then when he defended Tobio against Asato’s gun. A less desperate version than when he begged Tobio to believe him, at the police department. Waiting and searching for a love he believes lost. Tobio lets his hands slide from his chest to his neck, up his face.

He has to swallow too. He had his answer, as soon as he read Atsumu’s letter. He knew for a long while; rescuing Atsumu and his brother, kissing him with a healing fluid, breaking out their father. These weren’t matters done just for the good of justice or to erase future problems. There was no true heroic reason why Tobio has done all that for someone who was on the villain side. 

He simply knew the answer was that he loves Atsumu.

"When this is over... why don't you and Osamu come up to Miyagi? We could relocate your dad after, too. At least then I can try and keep an eye on you." His words come out stiffer than he practiced on the way here. It should have sounded nonchalant, teasing. Not so breathtakingly sad and wishful.

"Do you believe me?" Atsumu says, no stutter. It came out stronger than all those previous times Atsumu asked him, yelled it at him, begged him for it. Tobio's fingers move into the hair, and then he reels him in, allowing Atsumu's forehead to collide gently against the nook of his shoulder.

"I do. I believe that you loved me. Love me still. That your circumstances paved a road full of terror. That you made mistakes, and tried to amend them, even it was too late to prevent that worse came to worst. That you bled for me, lied for me, and tried to save me. I believe that before it all went to shit, you protected me and attempted to do the right thing. That there's still good in you, and that you'll try to better. That you can be a hero and... and that we can put this behind us."

His throat is dry from talking. He should have drank more of the scalding tea. His throat burns all the same for wholly other reasons.

"...Tobio," Atsumu whispers onto his skin, a prayer of sorts. An almost vow. Tobio hadn’t come here for those, though.

"I don't want promises or apologies. Whatever happened, happened. It's no use staying in the past to search for blames or to hold you accountable. No one is perfect and... I wasn't all that great when I was younger, either. All I need to see is... that you'll try," Tobio breathes out the last word, his eyes close and he puts his head back. Atsumu’s lips kiss his throat, smiling.

"I will."

"Every day." Tobio’s hand rummage through the imperfect hair, overcome with the urge to kiss him. 

"And every night," Atsumu grins, his eyes glassy when he glances up. He laughs, and Tobio hears it against his throat. That breathy chuckle that drove him mad. He missed it. Tobio descends. Bringing himself towards that dream of the future, ushered in as if siren song comes from Atsumu's mouth when he says his name. All the reasons why he shouldn't—

kiss second chances trust unquestioned unaltered trust

—evaporate, sun melting ice, making drops form like sweat. The way Atsumu's forehead would when he's cornered or after sex. Their lips meet after a hundred years of wanting to, offering that first step onto a shaky bridge, of which the other side is still in the fog.

'I love you's were promises too early to reform. And so the kiss was a hopeful pledge for the future, whispered bonds of their names in exchange before tongues became too busy to speak. Hands roaming 'maybe's across the shoulders and backs, one of which dips and rises as the wings spread up and up to the ceiling. Tobio angles his head to deepen the kiss, to make Atsumu cease his attempts to talk and ruin the moment. 

 

*

 

They stay like this for some time. Teas forgotten in the afternoon sun. Their arms loop round and round, fingers circling or pressing. Bruises heal, one kiss at a time. Atsumu wants to get up, only to lift Tobio on the table. There’s pact he wants to make, right then and there. He knows its too soon. Maybe on a visit in the dark of night. Insanely enough, the idea of him and Tobio having any sort of future pulls at his strings. Leaning into Tobio's warmth, Atsumu starts to cry. Unashamed. He's so relieved at the notion that his past faults could be redeemed. That he and Osamu can have a life out of fear, away from organizations with bad intentions.

And that Tobio is his to keep. Against all odds. That beautiful night-winged creature that considers giving him a second chance.

"Shh, it's alright," Tobio says, patting Atsumu's head until he calms. "You and your brother are more use to heroes outside of here. I shall convince whoever I have to. Deep knowledge about syndicates, how they think... It must be used for something good," Tobio believes, his dark blue eyes staring down Atsumu's souls. Just like he'd do when they were together in bed. Atsumu gives an empty laugh.

"As soon as you give them my true identity, they will deny such an idea. Maybe you could get one of us out but, Osamu has more skills than me. I was just... better at undercover jobs. Letting me rot here a few years will sound more agreeable," Atsumu says, seeing that he's talking to wall. Tobio will have none of it.

"You need to change your name now, if you want to resume work on the good side eventually." Tobio straight-face betrays nothing.

"To what?" Atsumu asks, his heart floating.

Tobio gives him a strange, wide smile, full of evil. "Double Goody."

{"Oh hell no,"} Osamu protests from the other side of the wall. But Atsumu laughs, kissing Tobio. He would be good, not just for selfish means. He wants to do better for others, too. That, he guesses, is his first step to being an actual hero.

"I like it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SO. Apart from the osahina and sakukomo which are planned for later this year.. I have good news for the atsukage fans; they will come back in a future fic for this series~!! and they will be joined by Neito (BNHA). I have the beginning ready since nanowrimo but omg I'm so pumped to write it * v* 
> 
> I will add links to other fics (if I don't forget) in these end notes too, so people can find them .v.b
> 
>  **Other works/plans for this universe, sometimes not added to the series!** For those interested~  
>  Sawamura-centric fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14758499).  
> Then there's a Tanaka-centric fic told from the povs of the Karasuno first years~ Bonfire night camping stories in front of a golden buddha statue.   
> But first... I will work on the osahina. I have been so into writing it but prioritized this fic (and uh, random stuff I wrote 8D)  
> There shall also be a sakukomi in this universe, but it's the least on my priorities list. Mostly because I wanna wait till we see them in the manga again, know some stats and background stuff!
> 
> Lastly... a huge thank you for all those who commented in the chapters during the upload period. After BD&D I was so eager to upload WCTC but was met with some radio silence at first. Because of it, I lacked the strength and vigour to focus on this. But when I received the comments... It really got me going to write and finish this. I had a couple of setbacks (aka an entire 6000 words just being lost and having to rewrite it), but all in all.. writing this helped me so much and made me feel so strong ;; I never wrote this much in the period of time that I did or on the weekly schedule I assigned myself to. nanowrimo was such an amazing experience and I felt so cool completing my first try with over 65k of words.
> 
> This fic is a writer's dream come true; weekly updates, receiving comments on every chapter, people being eager for what happens next, fearful of the fates of the protagonists... saying it reads like a movie TuT
> 
> Thank you all sosososo much for supporting this journey, mine and theirs!! I know a lot of you resent Atsumu a little or think he's getting off easy... I hope I portrayed a character who isn't all good nor all bad, who makes decisions based on his heart and thinking ahead/while also seeing no way out. I didn't want his redemption to be easy, because this entire fic and the premise wasn't made to be easy for the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed making it twisted and hard, filling everyone with doubt and suspicion. But please know, love will always win in the end.
> 
> THANK YOU ALL FOR THE GREAT TIME.  
> IT WAS GREAT.
> 
> I AM NOT CRYING;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;


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